Arsenal’s new signing Declan Rice has opened up on his bust-up with striker Eddie Nketiah when playing for West Ham United in 2022.

The England midfielder, who sealed a record transfer move to the Emirates on Saturday, squared up with Nketiah after taking exception to the striker’s tactics as the Gunners attempted to see out a 2-1 win over the Hammers at the London Stadium.

With the two players now re-united following Rice’s move to Arsenal, the former Hammer captain has explained his love for the 24-year-old Nketiah by saying as quoted by the club’s official website: “I played with Eddie [Nketiah] from under-nines to U14s. We were both released on the same day and it’s crazy where football takes you, your journey,” adding: “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.”

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Rice continued: “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.”

Rice started his youth career at Chelsea alongside Nketiah, before joining the West Ham academy in 2014, and signed his first professional contract a year later. On the final day of the 2016-17 season, an 18-year-old Rice made his senior debut and soon became an integral part of their first-team squad for the following six seasons.

He was named club captain in May 2022 and went on to lead the Hammers to the Europa Conference League title in June, and was named the tournament’s Player of the Season by Uefa. A regular with the England national team, he featured at both Euro 2020 and the 2022 Fifa World Cup.