DECLAN RICE showed his class off the field by reaching out to Ethan Nwaneri.
The England star shone on the pitch to help Arsenal book their place in the Champions League final.
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Delcan Rice enjoyed one of the best Emirates nights as Arsenal booked their spot in the Champions League final Credit: Getty
Ethan Nwaneri, out on loan at Marseille, commented on his Instagram post Credit: Getty
Rice, 27, took to social media on Wednesday following the win over Atletico Madrid.
He shared a series of snaps from the memorable night at the Emirates – including various celebration pictures and a video running into the crowd.
Man-of-the-match Rice wrote on Instagram: “About last night.”
The post racked up nearly a quarter of a million likes within six hours – and more than 3,800 comments.
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One of those was from Nwaneri.
The youngster simply typed two red love hearts.
And Rice replied: “Miss you,” followed by a red heart.
Nwaneri, 19, missed out on the chance to play in the Champions League knockout run as he was shipped out on loan to Marseille in January.
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Credit: Refer to source
Nwaneri has learnt plenty from Rice but has struggled on his loan spell in France Credit: Getty
And things have not gone according to plan for the Premier League’s youngest ever player.
He scored on his debut against Lens but fell out of favour when Roberto De Zerbi left on February 11.
Nwaneri has started the last 11 Ligue 1 games on the bench – coming on six times for a combined 152 minutes.
The Arsenal youngster has chipped in with just one assist in that time and missed the crucial penalty as Marseille crashed out of the Coupe de France.
New boss Habib Beye wants an improvement in Nwaneri’s “day-to-day commitment” to get back in the starting XI.
The former Newcastle United ace told L1+: “He’s a quality player, but he has to give us way more in his day-to-day commitment.
“Other players gave way more.”
Ironically, Nwaneri was sent out on loan by Mikel Arteta to get more regular minutes.
But they may well have come back in North London after injuries to Arsenal stars Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino in recent months.
Marseille finish their season on May 17, meaning the academy graduate will be available to pick up potential medals after both the Premier League and Champions League finales.
