Saliba to play for Arsenal U21s as Arteta explains back up plan
William Saliba will get his first minutes of the season on Sunday, but not for Arsenal's first team. The French centre back has been named to feature for Arsenal's Under-21 side against Aston Villa, despite returning to training and making the bench for the Champions League clash with Slavia Prague.
Saliba has not played a single competitive minute this season after suffering a back injury at the World Cup. He was left out of the matchday squad entirely for Saturday's Premier League meeting with Hull City at the Emirates, with Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhaes continuing as Arsenal's first choice central defensive pairing.
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
Speaking before the Hull game, Mikel Arteta explained the thinking behind easing Saliba back in via the U21s rather than throwing him straight into the first team picture. 'He needs some minutes,' Arteta said. 'Obviously, the Champions League allows you to bring more players into the bench, but we believe that it's the best thing to do, to play some minutes on the weekend with the Under-21s and then be fully fit for the international break.'
France decision taken out of Arteta's hands
There had also been uncertainty over whether Saliba would be required by France during the international break, with the Nations League on the schedule for Didier Deschamps' successor Zinedine Zidane. Arteta made clear on Friday that the call was not Arsenal's to make.
'They have all the information,' Arteta said. 'Now it's about them, about Zinedine in this case to make the call. We will accept whatever it is. I think it's something between them. Willy needs minutes as well. I know how much he loves to be in the national team. It's a new manager, a really exciting one as well, so whatever he has decided is fine for us.'
Zidane ultimately opted against including Saliba in his second squad as France boss, meaning the defender will remain in north London throughout the international break rather than reporting for international duty, according to Metro.
What comes next
With Konsa and Gabriel having formed a reliable partnership in Saliba's absence, Arsenal are in no rush to force the Frenchman back before he is ready. The U21 outing on Sunday should give the club's medical and coaching staff a clearer picture of his conditioning levels ahead of a return to first team contention after the international break.
For now, Saliba's priority is simply accumulating match sharpness, with his long awaited first appearance of the season for the senior side still to come.
