William Saliba injury: Progress and potential return date
- William Saliba is missing for Arsenal due to injury
- Defender has been absent since north London derby
- Mikel Arteta has offered a huge update on his fitness
Few could be considered more important to Arsenal's success than star centre-back William Saliba.
One need only look at the 2022/23 Premier League title race, in which Arsenal collapsed without their talismanic defender, to see the weight he carries in north London, with last weekend's second-half implosion against Aston Villa another example of how dearly the Gunners miss him when he's unavailable.
Saliba has been absent since the north London derby victory in mid-January - poor timing considering that Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus had previously suffered lengthy injuries. Arsenal have struggled to handle their growing fitness issues and they will be desperate to welcome their French behemoth back into action as soon as possible.
Here is the latest injury updates on Saliba, including when he's likely to make his comeback.
What injury does William Saliba have?
Saliba was a surprise absentee against Villa last weekend as Arsenal stumbled in their bid to usurp Liverpool at the Premier League's summit. Conceding quickfire strikes to Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins during the 2-2 draw, Mikel Arteta was unable to effectively fill the void left by his leading centre-half.
The Spanish coach confirmed that Saliba was missing with a hamstring injury but was indecisive in his diagnosis of the defender. The issue was initially described as "minor", but Arteta then revealed he was "very worried" about the 23-year-old's condition.
Saliba was absent once again on Wednesday evening as Arsenal all but secured their place in the Champions League last 16 with a convincing 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.
When will William Saliba return from injury?
Despite putting Arsenal supporters on edge with his recent comments, Arteta has since delivered a positive update on Saliba's recovery, suggesting he will be available to face Manchester City on 2 February.
Speaking before the Gunners' trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon, he revealed the latest on injuries to Myles Lewis-Skelly and Saliba.
"With Myles there's nothing serious on the scan so it will be a matter of today having a meeting with the medical staff and a training session and whether it's too early or not," Arteta admitted.
"With Willy it's the same. I think they'll definitely be in for next week [against Man City] but this week, let's see how it goes."
While Arteta didn't rule Saliba out of featuring against Wolves or in the upcoming Champions League encounter with Girona, it appears unlikely that he would be risked in either fixture.
With initial fears that the French international would be sidelined for a significant period, Arteta's update on Saliba's condition will serve as an enormous boost to Arsenal supporters ahead of next weekend's tantalising clash.
Who could replace William Saliba for Arsenal?
Arteta utilised right-back Jurrien Timber in the centre of defence against Villa and the versatile defender did an admirable job in an unfamiliar role. However, orthodox centre-half Jakub Kiwior replaced Saliba on Wednesday evening against Dinamo and seems the most likely to fill the gap at Molineux on Saturday.
The much-maligned Poland international has failed to convince for much of his Arsenal career but can be a useful plaster while Saliba recovers. The 24-year-old has only started two Premier League matches this term, featuring from the off during the 2-0 victory against Manchester United and 1-1 draw with Fulham.
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