Declan Rice reveals he has played through hamstring nerve pain for six months

Declan Rice has revealed he has been managing nerve pain in a hamstring since Christmas as he reflected on the “obscene” amount of matches he has played this season. The England midfielder sparked concern when he was forced off in the 72nd minute of the 4-2 World Cup win over Croatia last Wednesday. The problem relates to the upper hamstring, with the pain radiating into his lower back. But Rice described his substitution as “smart” and said he would be fighting fit for England’s second group game against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday. “I’m ready and fit, raring to go,” he told ITV Sport. “I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision. “In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.” Rice has played 63 matches this season, 55 for Arsenal and eight for England. His club reached the finals of the Champions League and Carabao Cup, losing to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City , and won the Premier League. “It’s an obscene amount of games,” Rice said. “The schedule was crazy but what can we do about it? You can’t sit and complain. …