"A bit more of a problem than first thought" – Journalist issues worrying injury update on Arsenal star William Saliba

Arsenal star William Saliba could be an injury headache for his team's Premier League title run-in, as per Daily Express reporter Ryan Taylor.

Saliba, 22, has established himself as a crucial first-team starter for Mikel Arteta's side since returning from a season-long loan spell at Marseille. Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, he has been a beacon of assurance in the Gunners' backline in the ongoing 2022-23 campaign.

A right-footed centre-back blessed with tackling and heading, the eight-cap France international sustained a back injury during his team's UEFA Europa League exit to Sporting CP last week. Subsequently, he missed his first Premier League match of the season last weekend.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Taylor hinted that Saliba's injury might be worse than initially suspected. He elaborated:

"Arsenal need William Saliba to be fit and ready as soon as possible. There is kind of an element of mystery about the injury at the moment, just in the sense that it wasn't initially feared to be anything really significant and there was a chance that he could have played [in his team's 4-1 win] against Crystal Palace on Sunday."

Providing insight into the Frenchman's condition, Taylor added:

"Obviously, he was forced to drop out of the France squad ahead of the international break and now there are further assessments on that problem. I don't anticipate it to be serious, but it might just be a bit more of a problem than first thought for the Gunners."

Saliba, who arrived from Saint-Etienne for £27 million in 2019, has been in brilliant form this season. He has registered three goals and an assist in 33 games across all competitions for the Gunners so far.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will next be in action in their Premier League home tie against struggling Leeds United on Saturday (April 1).

Emmanuel Petit casts doubt on 27-year-old Arsenal centre-back, thinks him to be 'soft'

Speaking to Premier League Productions, former Arsenal ace Emmanuel Petit said that he is not a huge supporter of Rob Holding. He said:

"Rob Holding, I am not a big fan of him, to be honest. I think he is too soft as a defender. It's also such a shame to see [Takehiro] Tomiyasu get injured recently. I would have preferred to have Tomiyasu at right-back and Ben White as a central defender."

Holding, 27, started his side's recent victory over Crystal Palace in place of William Saliba. He is expected to keep his place in the Gunners' starting lineup as Takehiro Tomiyasu is out with a serious knee issue.