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Arsenal have learned the extent of defender William Saliba's unavailability due to his hamstring injury. The Gunners will face competitive rivals Manchester City in the Premier League on February 5, and they are concerned that the 23-year-old will be unavailable.
The centre-back endured an injury in the Gunners' 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on January 15. Although he played the entire 90 minutes, Saliba was unable to participate in all the training sessions ahead of their next game against Aston Villa.
The French defender was eventually left out of the matchday squad, as the Gunners drew 2-2 against the Villans in front of their fans yesterday (January 18). Now, a report from L'Equipe (via GOAL) has revealed that Saliba could be out of contention for the next two weeks, missing Arsenal's next three games.
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The Gunners are set to face Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League on January 22 before their clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on January 25. Their final match in January will be against Girona on the continent (January 29), before they face Manchester City on February 2.
Mikel Arteta speaks about William Saliba injury amid injury crises at Arsenal
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has spoken about William Saliba's injury but has argued that his absence did not affect the team's performance in their 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. When he faced the press for his post-match press conference, Arteta was asked about Saliba's situation.
The manager kept a lid on things, responding (via Football.london):
"No, not yet, I think tomorrow we'll have more and more information. Tomorrow they will have another test on him, and I will be more clear about it."
When asked if the situation was a source of worry to him, Arteta responded:
"Yeah for sure, especially with the numbers that we have in the squad and looking at our bench. Very worried."
Arsenal have been struck by injuries this season. They have seen defenders like Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and now, William Saliba out injured.
Other areas of the squad have also been affected, with attackers like Bukayo Saka suffering long-term injuries. Gabriel Jesus has endured an ACL injury and will be out for the rest of the season.
