William Saliba is set to be a starter for France at the World Cup, according to reports in his home country.

GFFN report that France are set to use a three-back formation at the World Cup, with William Saliba expected to join Raphael Varane and Benoit Badiashile in the defensive line.

The France squad is set to be announced on Wednesday night, so we don’t yet officially know that Saliba will even be involved. But it seems like his call-up is a near-certainty at this point, and the only question is whether or not he’ll be starting.

Saliba has featured in seven of France’s last eight games, starting four of them and coming off the bench in three.

However, there were some worrying signs over the last international break. Saliba didn’t start against Austria – though he did play 67 minutes after a first-half injury – and then he was substituted at half-time in his start against Denmark.

Saliba’s biggest competition for starts probably comes from Jules Kounde, who was the player selected ahead of the Arsenal man against Austria before he picked up an injury.

Kounde has had various injury concerns this season, and he’s currently on a run of three games out of action. But the 23-year-old is expected to return before the World Cup.

Saliba will hope that his uninterrupted run of games for Arsenal will give him the edge, particularly considering how well he’s played in those matches.

Sunday’s performance away at Stamford Bridge was just another big showing in a big game for league leaders Arsenal. No wonder Saliba is in Didier Deschamps’ mind for a starting spot.