Declan Rice’s family watch the Arsenal midfielder home and away, even travelling to Eindhoven for the recent dead rubber against PSV.

The Athletic report that Declan Rice’s family have a private box at the Emirates Stadium. But as well as attending his home games, they also frequently travel to away fixtures as well.

That even extends to the Champions League, with The Athletic writing that Rice’s family were in Eindhoven to watch Arsenal’s match against PSV earlier this month.

The match was a dead rubber, with Arsenal having already topped the group and PSV having already guaranteed a finish in second place. On top of that, Rice wasn’t expected to start the match, and he didn’t.

But the player’s family still turned up to support him, cheering him on for his 28-minute cameo appearance at centre-back.

After all those years at West Ham, it’s great to see that Rice’s family have backed the midfielder’s move to Arsenal and supported him through the process.

It wouldn’t be surprising if that had a tangible impact on the 24-year-old, helping him to feel that he has a safety net even after his mega-money transfer.

If you glance at a list of the most expensive football transfers of all time, there are more than a few examples of players who have wilted under the pressure of the price tag.

Rice features in the top 10 of that list, yet he’s been a star for Arsenal this season. He must be doing something right behind the scenes to keep himself grounded.

Rice’s family might feel a little conflicted on Thursday night, as the Arsenal man takes on his former club at the Emirates Stadium.

But as with the player himself, they’ll have to put their old allegiances to one side for an evening.