Arsenal defender William Saliba looks set to be unavailable for the Premier League clash against Southampton on Friday. The Frenchman has been absent for a number of weeks now due to a back injury.
Mikel Arteta admitted Saliba has not progressed in his recovery as quickly as the club had hoped whilst Arsenal continue their Premier League title challenge. Saliba has missed the last four fixtures for the Gunners with Rob Holding deputising alongside Gabriel Magalhaes in his absence.
Oleksandr Zinchenko remains a doubt for the game against Southampton after he missed the 2-2 draw against West Ham last weekend. Saliba was spotted upping his recovery on Mohamed Elneny's Instagram account, where he posted on his story a video of himself and the Frenchman working in the club's gym on the bikes.
READ MORE: Oleksandr Zinchenko doubtful for Arsenal against Southampton as William Saliba misses out
Now, football.london has rounded up all the information we have on the talented defender's injury as he looks to be declared fit for the potential title-decider against Manchester City next week.
Mikel Arteta offers injury update
William Saliba is unlikely to make Arsenal's Premier League clash with Southampton due to injury, football.london understands. Arsenal are refusing to rule out the possibility that he could return for next Wednesday's crucial title six-pointer with Manchester City.
Speaking ahead of the clash against the Saints, Mikel Arteta offered an update on Saliba's fitness. The Gunners boss said: "Regarding William, we still have to wait a little bit more.
"He is not progressing as quick as we hoped. It’s a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take and at the moment that’s not possible to do.”
Spotted in the gym
Arsenal may have been given the biggest boost to their Premier League title hopes yet as defender William Saliba has been spotted back in the gym at London Colney. The France international has been injured with a back issue since the second leg of the Europa League exit to Sporting CP.
The spot came from Mohamed Elneny's Instagram account, where he posted on his story a video of himself and Saliba working in the club's gym on the bikes in training. It remains to be seen whether that means the youngster will be back in time to feature for the run-in, with the big step being the transition to playing on grass.
Premier League title race influence
William Saliba is ready to put his body on the line to play in Arsenal's title run-in despite concerns of injury complications if he is rushed back, according to The Daily Mail. The report indicates that Saliba's injury requires day-to-day management, indicating his recovery is not completely straightforward.
There is hope Saliba can step up his rehabilitation imminently, with boss Arteta indicating on Friday that the centre-back is expected to recommence training on the grass this week. The report adds that complexities connected to the problem that has kept the France international out of the team’s previous four matches means Gunners medics are taking a cautious approach to his recovery.
The nature of the injury means accelerating the recovery process could create a more substantial issue in the future.
Training absence
After missing Sunday's draw with Liverpool, Saliba looks no closer to a return from his back injury. Without the composure of the Frenchman in defence, the Gunners, leading 2-1, held off Jurgen Klopp's men for nearly 45 minutes, showcasing they are capable of performing admirably without him, but his return would be a huge boost.
Unfortunately, that date looks no closer to arriving as Sky Sports reporter James Green has revealed Saliba is not part of Arsenal's training session at London Colney today (Tuesday).
Arsenal decision
The Gunners may be without centre-back Saliba for the trip to Merseyside, with the Evening Standard reporting that the French international remains a serious injury doubt for Sunday's match. It is claimed that Arsenal will make a final decision on the 22-year-old closer to kickoff, although Holding looks set to deputise for the third game in a row.
Liverpool claim
According to Daniel Cutts of The Sun, Saliba will miss this weekend's trip to Anfield. Writing on Twitter, Cutts said: "William Saliba is set to miss Arsenal's clash at Liverpool on Sunday as he struggles with a back injury.
"He's not been able to train properly for the last few weeks. Hopes he'll be back soon though."
However, football.london understands that the French international was seen walking comfortably through the mixed zone after the match against Leeds on Saturday, similar to what he did after both the Sporting CP and Crystal Palace outings.
Major blow
Saliba is set to miss the Gunners' Premier League clash against Leeds, football.london understands. It is currently unclear when the 22-year-old will return to the squad.
Arsenal face a difficult month of fixtures, travelling to Anfield to take on Liverpool next Sunday, with matches against Chelsea and Manchester City also on the horizon.
Absent from training ahead of Leeds
William Saliba was not involved in Arsenal's first training session back after the international break. The Frenchman had to withdraw from the France squad as he continues to recover from a back injury.
Mikel Arteta is likely to start Holding in Saliba's absence for the game against Leeds, alongside Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.
Thomas Partey returned to training after struggling with a small injury problem during the international break, whilst Eddie Nketiah is still sidelined with an ankle injury.
France decision
The France Football Federation officially announced that Saliba would be replaced from the men's senior international team after the injury, having been called up for the squad last week.
Les Blues play the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland over the next fortnight but Saliba will have to watch from home as he awaits further details on the severity of his back issue.
Arteta admission
Saliba wasn't the only Arsenal defender to get injured against Sporting. In fact, right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu also sustained a problem and the Japanese international's injury certainly appears more serious if manager Mikel Arteta is to be believed.
"We don’t know [how bad Tomiyasu's injury is]", Arteta said after Sunday's victory over Crystal Palace. "The doctor is assessing. We have one assessment and I think they need to have another assessment tomorrow.
"It’s not looking good. Tomi is not one to exaggerate things. He was really concerned straight away and we are concerned."
Asked if there is a bit more hope around Saliba, Arteta replied by saying: "We hope Willy is going to be better news. Again we have to wait to tomorrow (Monday) to get a better picture."
Weeks claim
According to French outlet L’Equipe, Saliba could be sidelined for 'several weeks' in what would be a huge blow to Arsenal's title pursuit.
The Gunners next play on April 1 when they welcome Leeds United to the Emirates Stadium before travelling to Anfield a week later to take on Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool on April 9.
Palace miss
The Gunners were set to assess Saliba over the weekend to decide if he was available for the match against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium, football.london understands. However, he was unable to make the matchday squad, missing his first league match of the campaign in the process.
Rob Holding took the young defender's place in Mikel Arteta's starting XI as the north Londoners secured a 4-1 win over the Eagles thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Granit Xhaka and a Bukayo Saka brace.
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