Declan Rice has a nickname in the Arsenal squad. He is known by his team-mates as 'The Horse'.

"It's positive! [Oleksandr] Zinchenko started it and then Jorginho went with it," he tells Sky Sports. "Now everyone starts calling me it.

"I think it's because they think I can run all day, that I'm athletic, my ability to go again, my sustainability and availability to the team.

"Even two days since the last game, I'm running around in training and they're thinking I'm a mad man. I don't mind the nickname but I just have to keep it going."

On the whole, the last few weeks have seen Rice hit a new gear in this Arsenal team. After a brief period in and out of the side, the England midfielder has stepped up and hit a new level.

In that time, the 26-year-old scored his first Champions League goal against Dinamo Zagreb and was then the driving force behind Arsenal's 10-player victory against Wolves.

Then, in one of the biggest games of the Gunners' season so far, he picked up player of the match honours in the thumping 5-1 win over Manchester City, a match in which he got three assists.

It is a real purple patch, especially for a player who is often used as a sitting midfielder. This new gear has also been recognised by Mikel Arteta, who said Rice has an "added bite to his game" in recent weeks.

"It's really nice to hear," says Rice. "It probably was a slower start to the season for me coming off the back of the Euros - probably because I've been so consistent over the last few years. But now I'm hitting form and full fitness at the right time.

"But I knew I had to up my game, up my level. Over the last few months, I've been watching lots of clips, sitting down with analysts and seeing where I can improve. There's been a gradual, really good increase so I need to keep going until the back end of the season now."

Rice is speaking to Sky Sports from the launch of his new partnership with energy drinks brand CELSIUS - which the midfielder says helps fuel his performance regularly. "With me being a box-to-box midfielder, it is key," he says.

It also raises the subject of how Rice is looking after himself off the pitch to help him perform on it. After all, the schedule has been hectic for him recently.

The busy Christmas period was followed by nine matches in January for Arsenal, who have recently ended a run of 11 games in 36 days.

Over the past two years, Rice has faced more football than most - dating back to the 2022/23 season that was impacted by the winter World Cup in Qatar.

That season also saw him play extra games in West Ham's Conference League triumph, while Euro 2024 saw him become the only outfield player in the entire tournament to play every single minute from the group stage to the final.

Overall, only Virgil van Dijk has played more minutes since August 2022 than the England midfielder. And yet, Rice has almost always been available. Only a minor toe injury in November kept him out of one Arsenal game during that two-year period.

Again, it is noticed by his club manager. Arteta added recently: "The good thing with Declan is he's so consistent, so reliable. He's always there."

"It's just been down to the way I've played the game, the way I've trained and the way I've dedicated myself to the game," Rice says. "I'm 26 and played hundreds of games already.

"But I want to keep pushing for more, getting more games, wanting to be available. I don't want to be sitting on the bench, I don't want to miss out on games. I want to be there at every available opportunity. If I can keep that going for the next games and the games beyond, I'll be very happy."

The reason behind this reliability is the importance of fuelling, hydration and, as he describes, the way he "lives fit".

"I never really took into that side of the game until the nutritionist at Arsenal sat me down, went through it properly and showed me how your body works, and what you have to be eating and drinking constantly to be at the top of your game," he says.

"That's a really important part and for me now, with the number of games we're playing, it's probably the most important part. Once we played the games, it's how we go again in a few days' time.

"It's really tough. Every player has a different routine and lives differently. The staff at the club are the main ones on it and keep us going. You're away from home a lot of the time - there's hotels, travel and a lot of away games.

"There's a lot in the mind but when you're competing for stuff at the top end of the game, it's about how much you want it. That's why I keep myself going and I know it's the same for my team-mates, because this year we want to achieve some really good things."

Rice in this vein of form could be crucial to whether Arsenal achieve those goals.

The Gunners are attempting to reel in Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, while they are among the favourites for the Champions League following their strong league-phase display.

"There's still a really long way to go," Rice says about Arsenal's hopes for the season. "The manager said in a press conference the other week, no matter what, the only thing we can worry about is ourselves.

"But at the end of the season, we will be there. We can only keep believing in what we believe in, work on what we're working on and have full trust in the manager, players and everyone around us that we can achieve great things.

"It's down to us to get that over the line. Big things are coming. We need to stay positive and keep going."