"He has the versatility to play different roles" - Mikel Arteta makes interesting claim on Arsenal summer signing

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made an interesting claim on the Gunners' recent signing Declan Rice after playing him in an advanced position against Monaco in the Emirates Cup final on Wednesday.

The Spanish tactician claimed that the defensive midfielder possesses the versatility to operate in multiple roles on the pitch.

Arsenal struck a club record deal when they splashed a whopping £105 million to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United this summer. The Englishman signed a five-year deal with the Premier League giants, which will keep him at the Emirates Stadium until the summer of 2028.

Rice has already been thrown into action by Mikel Arteta this pre-season. The England international made his first appearance for the Gunners in the clash with MLS All-Stars on July 20, replacing Jorginho in the defensive midfield role in the second half of the encounter.

He also played the same role when he got the nod to start the clash against Manchester United on July 22. However, Mikel Arteta decided to experiment with Rice's position against Monaco, deploying him as an attacking midfielder.

Despite playing in that position for the first time in his professional career, Declan Rice put in a decent shift and his manager couldn't help but hail his versatility. Speaking after the match, Arteta said:

"He [Rice] played more advanced today, he played more as an attacking midfielder today, it was the first time that he’s played there. He’s on the journey to get back to his best and adapt to the team."

“I think he has the versatility to play different roles and it’s something that we want to do, especially to maximize the qualities that we have with other players, and they have the ability to play together, and in certain games, we’ll use him in other positions,” he added.

Arsenal will play their first official game of the season when they lock horns with Manchester City in the Community Shield this weekend. It remains to be seen if Mikel Arteta's men can earn themselves a perfect start to the new campaign.

Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal were leggy following hard-earned victory over Monaco

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Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta admitted that his players weren't at the top of their games when they took on Monaco at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

“In terms of the game, we struggled a little bit to dominate completely and have the game that we want, we had much better periods in the second half," he said.

“I think we were still a bit leggy and jet legged from when we came, we trained really hard the last three days to be fair and we wanted that task for us, when we are not fresh enough to play, how can we compete. So, it was a good test for us and we’re happy with the outcome," he added.