Declan Rice addresses altercation with Arsenal forward

Arsenal signed Declan Rice earlier this month from West Ham United.

The Gunners have splashed a club and British record transfer fee on Rice, with £100m up front and £5m in achievable add-ons.

Rice is now set to link up with his new teammates for Arsenal’s pre-season tour of the US.

Before heading out to America, though, Rice revealed he has known Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah since he was a child and also mentioned an altercation the pair had:

“I played with Eddie from under-nines to under-14s,” Rice told Arsenal’s official website of his relationship with Nketiah.

“We were both released on the same day and it’s crazy where football takes you, your journey. “He’s made it through the ranks at Arsenal, I made it through the ranks at West Ham. Now we get to link back up again.

“I’ve always loved Eddie, even though we had that little altercation on the pitch before! I’ve always loved him and been close to his family. His dad is a top, top guy who used to come on all the tours with us as kids, so I’m really looking forward to seeing Eddie again and of course the other boys.”

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