William Saliba was forced off injured in France’s World Cup exit
William Saliba suffered two blows on Tuesday night, with injury forcing him off in France’s World Cup semi-final before Spain deservedly booked their spot in Sunday’s final.
It is a heartbreaking situation for Saliba, who has impressed in the tournament to follow up on his heroics for Arsenal last season that saw them end 22 years of hurt by finally winning the Premier League title again.
Saliba has been a rock in defence but on Tuesday night, with Les Bleus already trailing 1-0 thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty, the 25-year-old went down injured in the first-half and was surrounded by concerned team-mates.
The centre-back was unable to continue and could be seen saying “my back is gone”. He was replaced by Maxence Lacroix, the Crystal Palace defender who has been linked with a £70m move to Chelsea, and France struggled to contain the Spain attack.
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Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s lead in the second period and held on to see favourites France crash out of the showpiece tournament.
After the game, Arsenal posted a message on social media which read: “Commiserations and wishing you a speedy recovery, Wilo. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.”
His back injury will no doubt be a big concern for Mikel Arteta, who is due to welcome his players back for pre-season next week.
Saliba will be given three weeks off regardless due to his involvement in the World Cup, but he could now be set for a longer period away as he recovers from his injury.
Arsenal’s first pre-season match is on August 1 in Girona. They face the former La Liga side in Spain before flying to Dublin to play another Spanish side, Real Betis, on August 5.
They also play Borussia Dortmund and Como 1907 at the Emirates Stadium before facing Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 16.
Whether Saliba is available for the season curtain-raiser remains to be seen, with Arteta undoubtedly keen on having Saliba fully fit in time to defend their title.
Following France’s exit, boss Didier Deschamps, who asked reporters if they felt referee Ivan Barton had the ability to handle a game of such stature, said at his post-match press conference: “We were below our standards, we committed more technical flaws than before.
“We know the skills of the Spanish team and to hope for victory, we should have been at our maximum. We gave it all and we were not, unfortunately, therefore we are extremely disappointed tonight.”
Spain’s first goalscorer Oyarzabal told reporters: “It’s absolutely unbelievable when, as a child, you can’t even dream about these things. If you ever have the opportunity to be a fan at a World Cup match, it is incredible. That’s what I did. But now being in the final, well…
“There’s just one more step to go with that final, so now we’re just focused on that. We just want to win, and of course it’s such a source of pride having reached so far. It’s so incredibly valuable. We’re making history and we just want to go one more step forward.”
Confirmed Arsenal pre-season fixtures
Girona vs Arsenal on Saturday, August 1 at Estadi Montilivi (7pm UK time)
Arsenal vs Real Betis on Wednesday, August 5 at Aviva Stadium (7:30pm UK time)
Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, August 9 at Emirates Stadium (2pm UK time)
Arsenal vs Como 1907 on Wednesday, August 12 at Emirates Stadium (7:30pm UK time)
Arsenal vs Manchester City on Sunday, August 16 at Principality Stadium (3pm UK time)
