Manchester United legend Gary Neville has highlighted one potential concern for Mikel Arteta despite Arsenal’s dominant form in the Premier League.

The Gunners extended their lead at the top of the table to six points on Sunday after a 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring before Eberechi Eze completed a sensational hat-trick at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have maintained impressive performances this season despite injuries to key players including Gabriel Magalhães, Martin Ødegaard, Viktor Gyökeres, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus.

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, Neville singled out Declan Rice as the only player whose absence could significantly affect Arsenal’s campaign.

“The only player you’d be worried about losing for a period of time would be Declan Rice because you can’t replace that,” Neville said.

“That’s your Roy Keane, that’s your Rodri, the player that holds you together. There’s only one of them. You’d never be able to replace his ability to be powerful on set-pieces, his running, his tackling, his impact on the game going forward.”

Neville also praised Arsenal’s depth at full-back and centre-back, noting that players like Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Ben White provide solid options. However, Rice’s unique skill set, both defensively and offensively, remains irreplaceable for Arteta’s side.