Arsenal have revealed that defender William Saliba would be sidelined for an extended length of time after injuring his back while on international duty with France at the FIFA World Cup.
According to BBC Sport, the 25-year-old centre-back had been dealing with the issue for several weeks prior to the competition, but it worsened during France’s semi-final loss to Spain, forcing him to leave after only 30 minutes.
Following his return to London, Saliba was assessed by a specialist, and Arsenal confirmed that surgery would not be required.
Instead, the France international will start a supervised rehabilitation programme.
The injury also kept Saliba out of France’s third-place play-off loss to England.
Earlier in the World Cup, Saliba acknowledged he had been playing through pain to aid both his club and nation.
“I’ve had some minor niggles for several months,” he said. “I’ve been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth.”
Saliba was a vital figure for Arsenal last season, appearing in 50 games across all competitions as Mikel Arteta’s team overcame a 22-year Premier League drought and advanced to the UEFA Champions League final.
His absence is a huge setback for Arsenal heading into the new season.
The defender is expected to miss the Community Shield match against Manchester City on August 16, as well as Arsenal’s Premier League opener against newly promoted Coventry City five days later.
The club has not offered a timetable for Saliba’s return but has termed his absence as an “extended period”.
