William Saliba injury: Progress & potential return date for Arsenal star

While Arsenal have enjoyed a season few of their fans expected, it has not been without its injury hitches and they have a serious one now.

William Saliba has been one of the key components of Mikel Arteta's side this season but it has now been confirmed he will not play another game in 2022/23.

The French defender is a big part of the reason why Arsenal have been able to take Manchester City so far in the title race, holding top spot until the most recent few games where their form has stuttered and City have excelled.

Here is the latest update on Saliba's fitness and when Arsenal fans can expect to see him back on the pitch.

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What injury does William Saliba have?

Saliba has been struggling for a few weeks with a back injury and it is an area that can be incredibly slow to heal in comparison to other parts of the body. That is why there were initial hopes that he could make a comeback for the final few games of the season, but the necessary progress has not been made.

He picked up the problem when Arsenal faced Sporting CP in the Europa League. To add insult to injury, the Gunners were knocked out that night at the Emirates against the odds in a penalty shootout.

The former Saint-Etienne defender has already missed eight Arsenal games since he picked up the injury but there had been an air of mystery around when he may return. Saliba has been a mainstay at the back for Arsenal this season alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, despite being just 22 years of age. He has featured in 33 games, showing how much Arteta values him.

Rob Holding has been filling in for Saliba but it is no secret that fans of the Gunners would much rather see Saliba in the backline.

When will William Saliba return?

Unfortunately for Arsenal fans, the season is over for Saliba. The club announced the news while also confirming Oleksandr Zinchenko is also out for the rest of the campaign. The good news is neither player requires surgery, so they should be able to take part in pre-season as normal.

Arteta was asked about the injury during his press conference when things were still unsure about how long Saliba will be out of action. He sounded very pessimistic about Saliba's chances of a quick return to the Arsenal backline, and clearly that pessimism was well-founded.

"With William we have to wait a little bit more," the Arsenal manager said. "He is not progressing as quickly as we had hoped. It is a bit delicate. We want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and with the risk we would take at the moment that is not possible to do."

"There is some evolution, he is doing more activity, but he is not there yet to start to throw him on the pitch at the level that the sessions demand to compete in this league."

Arsenal's record without William Saliba

Saliba has now been injured or left on the bench for 13 of Arsenal's games across all competitions this season.

Having initially coped very well without Saliba earlier in the season when he was unavailable, their title challenge has unravelled in recent weeks and it coincides with Saliba's absence from the team.

The three draws leading up to a loss against will likely be viewed as the period Arsenal lost the Premier League title, should they fail to overhaul new leaders City.

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On this edition of The Chronicles of a Gooner, part of the 90min podcast network, Harry Symeou looks at the tactical tweaks Arsenal made in the win against Newcastle, including the midfield shape, Jakub Kiwior's adaptation, Ben White's role and more. If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!