Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta doesn’t know when would William Saliba return to action from injury, a news that won’t inspire confidence in their fans ahead of the Premier League title run-in.
The 22-year-old picked up a back problem in their penalty shootout defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League in March and has since missed four games.
Rob Holding has deputized for Saliba in defense but the Gunners have looked lackluster at the back, conceding six times in those games and drawing twice.
With only games remaining in their league campaign, the north London outfit are facing a nerve-wracking race to reach the finish line with holders Manchester City.
Arsenal may have to see out the remainder of their top-flight season without Saliba as Arteta issued a worrying update on the Frenchman in his latest press-conference.
When asked about his condition, the Spaniard responded saying:
“No big news, the picture hasn’t changed from last week. And regarding William, we still have to wait a little bit more. He’s not progressing as quickly as we hoped and it’s a bit delicate.”
He further added that pushing him back into the foray isn’t a risk Arteta is willing to take at the moment, indicating that Saliba is far from fit right now.
“We want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we would take, and at the moment that’s not possible to do.”
It remains unclear for how long he’d remain sidelined, although the defender has upped his recovery process, and the Arsenal manager revealed that they needed some more time to determine if Saliba would play again this season.
“I don’t know. It’s a little bit early [to know]. Probably next week we will have a little more certainty. There is some evolution, he’s doing more activity.
“But he’s not there yet to start throwing him on the pitch at the level that is demanded to compete in this league.”
Saliba has been a key player in Arsenal’s title charge with his defensive exploits and his absence has certainly hurt them so far. If he’s unable to make it for the final few games of their campaign, it’s obviously a big loss for the Gunners, who are aiming to lift their first Premier League crown since the 2003-04 season.
Arsenal next play Southampton on Friday at the Emirates, looking to go seven points clear of Manchester City ahead of their potential title-deciding showdown at the Etihad on 26 April 2023.