Arsenal defender William Saliba has suffered a serious injury scare during France’s World Cup semi-final clash with Spain in a devastating blow for club and country.
The 25-year-old centre-back had been outstanding for France throughout the tournament, making himself one of the most important players in Didier Deschamps’ squad.
Saliba went down to the ground untouched and off the ball in the first half, which immediately caused alarm among his France team-mates around him.
He appeared to be mouthing “my back is gone, my back is gone” as he struggled on the pitch before eventually sinking to the ground and walking off.
He was replaced before half-time by Crystal Palace defender and Chelsea transfer target Maxence Lecroix, robbing France of one of their most reliable performers at a critical stage.
The timing could not have been worse for France, as they had just conceded their first goal of the entire World Cup tournament just minutes before Saliba went down.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the spot in the 22nd minute to hand the Euro 2024 winners Spain a 1-0 lead, leaving Deschamps’ side reeling from two blows in quick succession.
Saliba had started and played the full 90 minutes of every match in France’s World Cup campaign, aside from the 4-1 group stage victory over Norway when qualification was already secured.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be watching events with particular concern, as Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes formed the spine of their Premier League title triumph and run to both the League Cup and Champions League final last season.
In the seven Premier League matches Saliba missed last season, Arsenal dropped six points, underlining just how significant his presence is to the Gunners’ defensive structure.
He made 50 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal last season, cementing his status as one of the most important players at the club under Arteta.
Should Saliba miss the start of the new Premier League campaign, Arteta would likely need to deploy Ben White or Jurrien Timber alongside Gabriel at the heart of defence.
Saliba had already admitted before the tournament began that he had been managing a back problem throughout the latter part of the club season.
At the start of the competition, he said: “I’ve had some minor niggles for several months. I’ve been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. But the coaching staff are handling it very well.”
He added: “The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth. I’m not at 100 per cent, but there are plenty of players who aren’t at 100 per cent either, you cannot make excuses.”
