William Saliba has spoken publicly for the first time since France lost to Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday. The defender didn't feature in the game itself but would've been equally disappointed by the fact that his nation lost at the very last moment.
Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick ultimately wasn't enough to prevent Lionel Messi and Co. from completing their dream, but the good thing about having the tournament in winter is that players will now return to clubs to immediately begin domestic action.
Still, it hurts for now, as Saliba expressed in an Instagram post on Tuesday night. The Arsenal star said: "Proud of the team and what we accomplished, we will come back stronger. Thank you for your support."
READ MORE: Arsenal's perfect January transfer from France's World Cup squad that's not Marcus Thuram
Whilst Saliba may be upset about only playing a handful of minutes out in Qatar, it's a good thing for the Gunners because he avoided injury. Mikel Arteta has lost Gabriel Jesus to a lengthy spell on the sidelines after he was injured for Brazil in the group stages, so having his star centre-back return home without worry is reassuring.
Whether he'll return in time to face West Ham United on Boxing Day remains to be seen, though. The Frenchman has been afforded some well deserved time off following the end of the tournament and he will need to reintegrate into the squad after six weeks away with the national team.
Arsenal can temporarily stretch their lead at the top of the table to eight points with victory over the Hammers as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City don't play in the Premier League again until December 28.
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