Midfielder needed a break ‘to come back stronger’

James Trafford selected to start in goal for England

Declan Rice has admitted he had an “average” World Cup at the end of a gruelling season and needed time out during the international window in September and October in order to return stronger.

The Arsenal midfielder believes the break has served its purpose, having produced starring performances against Bayern Munich and Liverpool in recent weeks. He is now ready to hit his best level for England in Sunday’s Nations League showdown against Spain at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Rice managed nerve pain in a hamstring that affected his lower back throughout the second half of last season and his fitness was a talking point during the World Cup. The 27-year-old had good games, most notably against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last 32 when he filled in towards the end as an emergency right-back.

Thomas Tuchel substituted him in the 89th minute after Rice told him he was in “terrible pain”.

Rice played well and scored in the third-place playoff against France. But he was typically honest when asked to reflect on his tournament as he prepared for the Spain game. England will leapfrog the world champions and finish top of their Nations League group if – and only if – they win in Madrid. It would theoretically bring an easier draw for the two-leg quarter-finals in March.

“By my standards it was an average World Cup,” Rice said. “France was probably my best game, Congo I played really well; some of the other games I didn’t play too well but you look back … I played 69 games [in the season].

“A title win with Arsenal, a Champions League final loss and into a World Cup. It’s annoying because at the World Cup you want to be at your best, you want to be totally fresh, you want to be ready. It’s annoying that I couldn’t perform how I did at Arsenal towards the back end of the season.

“But knowing if I’m not going to be at my best, just constantly give 100% for this team, for the badge and you could see that. I loved [the last-16 win in] Mexico. We had the disappointment of Argentina in the semi-final, the second group game against Ghana. It’s games you look back on and think: ‘Could I have done better?’”

The playoff against France was on 18 July. After a short break, Rice reported back to Arsenal and played 45 minutes of the Community Shield against Manchester City on 16 August.

When he played the 90 minutes of the defeat at Brighton on 19 September, he “did not feel right at all”, leading to a conversation with Tuchel who stood him down from England’s first four Nations League ties, the first of which was the 3-2 loss against Spain at Wembley. Rice sent a voice note to the England captain, Harry Kane, to explain his absence.

“I had an honest conversation with the boss here [Tuchel], who was really understanding,” Rice said. “He said: ‘Take some time, get yourself ready.’ It was about using that time to come back fitter and stronger. I feel really good now. It’s still like I’m building up to being 100 per cent but it’s closer to that than what I was a few weeks ago, for sure.

And over the last few weeks, my performances have picked up.”

Rice, who won his 81st cap in the win over Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, had only previously withdrawn from three England camps. “I know the importance of playing for England, I know the importance of showing up, being available,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest things to me. Last camp, if I didn’t speak to the manager about it, I wouldn’t have done it. But he gave me his word.

So I was in a better place mentally knowing that he authorised it.”

Rice has played at least 50 club matches in each of the past five seasons. “It’s something my body has got used to,” he said. “Probably last year, I felt it more than anything in terms of the amount of games, the toll it does take and realising as you get older, you have to take the recovery side of it a lot more seriously.

When you were 21, 22, 23 … you could get up and have a round of golf the next day [after a match]. Now, even though I’m young at 27, you get up after a game and you can hardly feel your legs.”

Meanwhile, Tuchel has decided to start James Trafford in goal against Spain – an eye-catching decision that will only harden the impression that Jordan Pickford is no longer his first-choice goalkeeper. Tuchel gave