Arsenal club-record signing Declan Rice met with Arsene Wenger after the Emirates Cup game against AS Monaco last night.
The Gunners secured victory in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw with the Ligue 1 club, with the England international featuring for his new side for the first time at Emirates Stadium.
Rice spent 62 minutes before being withdrawn, returning to action after a knock prevented him from featuring against Barcelona in the last game of the pre-season tour of the United States.
Wenger first identified the 24-year-old as a huge potential years ago while he was still in charge of the first-team, and both finally got a chance to chat last night.
An elated Rice took to his Instagram stories to react thus.
“An honour to be able to meet and speak to this legend last night,” the Arsenal midfielder posted.
Wenger noticed a 16-year-old Rice when he played for the West Ham under-18 side against their Arsenal counterparts at London Colney.
The Frenchman went over to watch and see if any of the youngsters were ready for the Arsenal first team.
He was only there watching for 20 minutes but spoke to one of his staff members and pointed out Rice as the best player on the pitch.
The Gunners could have signed the Englishman for peanuts then, but they had more than enough talented youngsters coming through their ranks and did not consider it.
However, they have had to break the bank for him eight years later, signing him in a £105 million deal after battling Manchester City for his services.
Arsenal reckon Rice has what it takes to improve their midfield as they look to mount a stronger title challenge next term, and he has shown glimpses in the recent appearances he has made.
The Gunners face Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, and the former Chelsea schoolboy will be looking forward to proving his quality against the Premier League champions.
