Arsenal defender William Saliba faces the possibility of having to undergo surgery after this summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America.Â
Foot Mercato reported on Monday that the centre-back was carrying an unspecified injury into the UEFA Champions League final, which the Gunners lost to PSG in a penalty shootout.
It was claimed that Saliba aggravated the problem during the course of the match and faces several weeks on the sidelines, putting his World Cup with France into jeopardy. More information has since come to light on the issue.
Arsenal star William Saliba facing possible surgery after World Cup
According to l’Equipe (via GFFN), Saliba has been managing a back problem for several weeks and may require surgery to fix it.
The 27-year-old is now in more pain after playing all 120 minutes of the Champions League final in Budapest.
However, the France national team’s medical staff are optimistic he can make it through the World Cup after tests he underwent on Monday came back positive.
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The report claims that Arsenal were already under the impression that he would face time on the sidelines after the tournament, with surgery at the end of the summer a real possibility.
If Saliba were to go under the knife, he would likely miss the start of the next Premier League season.
Saliba started 30 out of 38 games of Arsenal’s title-winning campaign, totalling over 2,600 minutes on the pitch. He joined the north London outfit from Saint-Etienne for a transfer fee of £27 million in 2019 and spent the following three seasons out on loan. Since breaking into the first team in 2022, he has made 184 appearances in all competitions.
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