Declan Rice: How Gunners’ New Signing Performed As Manchester United Beat Arsenal in Friendly

• Declan Rice was in action for almost an hour as Arsenal lost a preseason friendly to Manchester United
• First-half goals from Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho meant the Gunners still have a whole lot to do
• The new mega signing for Arsenal, Rice, performed below expectations during the intense encounter

Arsenal’s new signing Declan Rice was in action 58 minutes in Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to rivals Manchester United in a preseason friendly.

The 24-year-old England international recently joined the Gunners for a British record transfer fee of $138.5 million, but it seems all is not yet perfect with Mikel Arteta’s side.

Manchester United continued with their impressive pre-season performances beating their fellow Premier League contenders at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

A crowd of 82,262 attended the match - a record figure for an association football match in the state - and witnessed United deliver the best performance of our pre-season programme so far.

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Football

How did Declan Rice perform against Arsenal?

It was the midfielder’s first start since joining the club partnering Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard in the middle of the pack.

Arsenal fans expected to see Rice hold down the midfield with two offensive-minded players ahead of him.

The Gunners started the match on a good note, with Rice also showing impressive performances in the early stages of the encounter.

He failed to anchor the Gunners' midfield and was mostly anonymous throughout the match - early days, though, SunSport reports.

The Gunners' boss might need to change his strategy as there seem to be lapses.

After being drawn wide, a sizeable space opened in the middle and Bruno Fernandes strode into the middle to strike and score, as Rice struggled.

His part was brought to an end after just 60 minutes when Mikel Arteta substituted him for Thomas Partey. The sub perhaps hints toward a commitment to this midfield structure for now, Football London reports.

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Fans blast Declan Rice

Sports Brief earlier reported that new Arsenal summer signing Declan Rice has found himself on the receiving end following his below-par performance against Manchester United.

Rice recently sealed a sensational transfer move to the Emirates Stadium, ending weeks of speculation that surrounded his future with West Ham United.

The former West Ham United star delivered a somewhat underwhelming performance by his standards, sparking reactions from fans on social media.