William Saliba has officially withdrawn from the March internationals, with France confirming that he needs a 10-day rest period to treat an ankle injury.
France initially called William Saliba up for their friendlies over the March international break, but they’ve since confirmed that the Arsenal defender has withdrawn from the training camp.
According to their statement, Saliba is unable to join the camp as he’s suffering from recurring pain in his left ankle. The injury will require treatment and a “minimum rest period of 10 days”.
Didier Deschamps has opted to call up Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix in Saliba’s place, and the news follows an update on Sunday that Eberechi Eze is also pulling out of England duty.
Whilst the news that Saliba is injured is certainly not positive, it’s good to see that the national team are allowing him the chance to recover.
Saliba’s inclusion in the France squad had been a concern to begin with, considering Deschamps team are playing two friendlies in the United States over the break.
The long flight across the Atlantic and the risk of injury on unreliable American pitches was not something Arsenal fans were excited about. It’s just a shame Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli still face the same thing, facing France and Croatia in the States.
With any luck, Saliba will be fit by the time club football returns on April 4th. But if he needs to sit out the Southampton FA Cup match and rest up for the following Champions League quarter-final away to Sporting CP, that likely wouldn’t be a big issue.
There were no guarantees Saliba would be starting the Southampton game even if fully fit, as it’s a pretty clear opportunity for rotation. The backup players should be able to do the job on the day.