Declan Rice is on the boil - the stats don't lie! Graeme Souness said the £105m man won't be world-class until he make more killer passes and scores more goals... Now, the numbers say he's on the right path

As Rice, Rice, Baby reverberated from the Emirates speakers on Sunday afternoon, Declan Rice had raised his head towards the deafening cries of Arsenal supporters.

The season is just over three weeks old, yet the Gunners faithful are already aware that if a title bid is to follow, Rice will truly be crucial.

Rice, 24, was signed to shield the defence, quickly disperse play to start attacks and make an occasional foray forward.

Mikel Arteta, publicly and privately, is not overly concerned about how many goals or assists Rice will gain this season.