Declan Rice has played down worries about his workload at Arsenal after shaking off the “frustration” he experienced during last summer’s World Cup with England.

Rice brought a gruelling season for club and country to an end after England reached the semi-finals, taking his total number of appearances to 69.

Although he showed signs of tiredness with the Three Lions, after also playing a leading role in Arsenal’s run to the Champions League final, Rice believes he is capable of coping with that volume of matches going forward following an important break before returning to action for the Gunners.

“I think for the last six seasons, even since my West Ham days when it was in Europe, I've played 60 plus every season,” Rice said. “So I think it is sustainable because I've shown that I can do it.

“It's just about maintaining it, maintaining the level and the consistency of the performances. For me, that's the main thing, showing up every week, giving a good account of myself and helping the team win. I've been lucky enough to be able to do that. So I'm really hungry to be able to do that again this season.”

Rice, meanwhile, was also delighted to have moved past the niggle that affected his ability to feel fresh under Thomas Tuchel in the United States, after Arsenal made a winning start to the league phase of the Champions League thanks to Martin Odegaard’s goal in a 1-0 victory over Napoli.

Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice during Napoli v Arsenal (Reuters)

“Yes, it was tough,” Rice recalled when asked about his fitness problems at the World Cup. “I think everyone knew I had an issue with a neural hamstring. But also on the top of the Premier League season, which was so demanding, the Champions League, to then play a World Cup in that heat really does take its toll. I'm a player that goes on the pitch, wants to be fresh and give 100 per cent every time I put on an England shirt.

“And yes, there were stages where I felt really, really good and stages where I didn't feel I was good. And obviously I had the illness going into the Norway game, which didn't really help. So there were a few things that frustrated me, just with myself, just not feeling 100 per cent. But there were games where I felt really good, like Congo. So it's one of those things I just had to manage. And like I said, in the summer, I just took a complete time off.”