Declan Rice, an Arsenal midfielder, has been practicing in Dubai to ensure he gets off to a strong start this season.

Rice is now on leave after leading England to the Euro 2024 final, where he played more minutes and covered more territory than any other player.

The 25-year-old missed Arsenal’s tour of the United States earlier this month, but he will begin pre-season training this weekend once the Gunners return to the UK.

Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, David Raya, and William Saliba are also expected to return, having been given prolonged breaks after their performances in Euro 2024.

Arteta is convinced that those players who have returned late will be ready to play when Arsenal face Wolves in their Premier League opener on August 17, and Rice has been working hard in Dubai to achieve this.

The midfielder has been working with Chris Bowman, a performance coach who is popular among Premier League players.

Tottenham’s new signing Archie Gray and Aston Villa full-back Matty Cash both worked with Bowman earlier this summer.

Rice has already worked with Bowman and hopes that his extra effort this season will pay off.

“I’m very confident,” Arteta said on Monday when asked if he expects to have his entire roster for the season’s first game.

“They want to be part of it as quickly as possible, and they are preparing to be ready when they come, not just preparing when they come back at the end of this week.”