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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that he does not know whether William Saliba will play again this season. The Spaniard said that the defender has not recovered as quickly as was initially hoped.
Saliba has not featured for the Gunners since picking up a back injury in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 clash against Sporting CP on March 16. Without the Frenchman, the league leaders have drawn two of their last four Premier League games.
On Thursday (April 20), Arteta confirmed that Saliba will miss Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Southampton on Friday. When asked whether he will be able to play again this season, the Spanish tactician replied (via GOAL):
“I don’t know. Probably next week, we will have more certainty. There is some evolution; he’s doing more activity, but he’s not there yet to start to throw him on the pitch at the level demanded to compete in this league.
“We still need to wait a little bit more. He’s not progressing as quick as we hoped. It’s a bit delicate. We want to be certain when we push him that he’s ready to absorb the risk that we would take, and at the moment, that’s not possible.”
Saliba has been in excellent form for Arsenal this season, scoring thrice and claiming an assist in 33 games across competitions. The Gunners need all hands on deck to keep Manchester City at bay in the Premier League title race, and Saliba’s absence could turn out to be catastrophic.
William Saliba put in solid shift in Arsenal’s win over Fulham
William Saliba’s last Premier League game for Arsenal came against Fulham on March 12. Goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard propelled the Gunners to a 3-0 win.
Operating as a right-center-back, Saliba produced a confident performance. He looked assured on the ball, rarely misplaced passes and won his fair share of tackles.
The Frenchman completed 64 passes with 90% accuracy, played six passes into the final third, won three of his four tackles and performed seven clearances. Saliba’s game-reading and composure helped the Londoners keep Fulham attacker Aleksandr Mitrovic at bay.
