Arsenal have announced that centre-back William Saliba is set to be unavailable for a prolonged spell after sustaining a back injury while on international duty with France at the World Cup.
The 25-year-old had been dealing with a back complaint for a number of weeks and carried the problem into the tournament, but was withdrawn after 30 minutes of France’s semi-final defeat to Spain.
After heading back to London and being examined by a consultant, it was determined that an operation is not necessary and a managed rehabilitation programme will be followed instead.
Saliba was forced to miss France’s third-place play-off defeat by England.
Earlier during the World Cup, he commented: “I’ve been carrying some minor issues for a number of months.
“I’ve been pushing through the pain because there was the Champions League and the Premier League.
“The World Cup comes around just once every four years, so you have to push through.”
Saliba played in 50 matches across all competitions for Arsenal last season, as they brought a 22-year wait to an end by winning the Premier League and also progressed to the Champions League final.
Mikel Arteta’s side will go up against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, 16 August – five days before the Gunners commence their Premier League title defence, playing host to newly promoted Coventry City.
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