Reports that William Saliba is suffering from a back problem that could see him miss this summer’s World Cup seem to come as a surprise to Didier Deschamps.
On Monday afternoon, websites were abuzz with the ‘news’ that William Saliba has been suffering with a back problem for the past few weeks and, as a result, his World Cup was at risk.
That will come as something of a surprise to Arsenal fans who have watched him perform at his imperious best during that time, including 120 minutes on Saturday in Budapest.
I first noticed the story on the ESPN website where they said that ‘sources’ had told them Saliba would undergo scans on Monday and that the “fear is that he will need a lengthy time to rest and for treatment, and will miss the World Cup with France.”
Speaking to the media at Clairefontaine as France begin their World Cup preparations, Didier Deschamps was asked about these reports, which seem to have stemmed from Foot Mercato and he admitted he hadn’t seen. “He’s here,” Deschamps said of Saliba. “Everything is fine.”
Saliba does, of course, have a history with back problems. There is a good case to be made that the one he suffered in the final months of the 22/23 season derailed Arsenal’s unexpected title challenge, so to have another back problem rob him of a World Cup would be doubly cruel.
Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all.
Metro add in their report, “Saliba did undergo tests on his fitness on Monday, with the medical staff still waiting on results and whether he is 100 per cent fit or not is unclear, despite his manager sounding confident,” however all players undergo tests when they arrive.
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