The England midfielder moved to Arsenal from West Ham in the summer for a club-record fee and is now comfortable with the huge pressure placed on his shoulders.

Rice said: "When the transfer was going through I was very nervous because of the price tag.

"It’s natural to think about that. You’re a human being bought for £105m, it doesn’t feel very normal. But that was because of what I’d done at West Ham, what they valued me at.

"When I signed for Arsenal, I just thought I just need to be Declan Rice, be myself, don’t be any different, everything will go smoothly.

"The first three weeks of pre-season were really tough in terms of the change. When you’re at a new job you start to feel really settled after a few weeks.

"That really feels the case now. In terms of the price tag, I don’t really think about it, I just play the games and try to play as well as possible.

"Honestly, I just try to play my football. I don’t let it affect me in any way, shape or form. I just go to training, try to train as well as possible."

Rice's international teammate Jack Grealish confessed he found his £100million price tag when he joined Manchester City in 2021 "annoying" and the midfielder can relate to the scrutiny that comes with a big financial outlay.

He said: "It’s £100m, it’s a lot of money, I could understand the pressure that comes with it.

"Not only the pressure you put on yourself but there’s an expectation of being bought for that much money we need to see performances straight away.

"I want to repay the club back straight away, they have invested a lot of money in me, I need to prove why I can go there and change things.

"I can see why Jack struggled maybe at the start – mentally. He was a £100m footballer but as he wasn’t playing as much, it was probably as bit different for him. Now he’s flying and it’s the same for me."