William Saliba has withdrawn from international duty with France after picking up a toe injury.
The Arsenal defender put on a dominant display in his side’s statement victory against Manchester City on Sunday.
The 22-year-old marshalled the best striker in the league, Erling Haaland, with ease as the Norwegian registered 0.00XG for the first time in his Manchester City career.
Although unnoticeable on the day, Saliba was playing with a reported ‘chronic toe injury’ as the French Football Federation released a statement confirming his withdrawal from the squad shortly after full-time.
‘William Saliba is not able to participate in the gathering of the French team,’ the statement reads.
‘The Arsenal defender suffers from pain in his right big toe. He will remain available to his club to treat this chronic injury.
‘After speaking with Dr. Franck Le Gall, the French team doctor, Didier Deschamps noted William Saliba’s withdrawal and decided to replace him with Jean-Clair Todibo.
‘The latter is expected at Clairefontaine on Monday at noon, like all the selected players.’
An injury to the French defender could be disastrous for Arsenal football club, as we saw last year after his back issues.
Although not ideal, Gunners fans will be happy that Saliba gets a two-week rest to recover before returning for a crucial clash with Chelsea immediately after the break.