Arsenal defender William Saliba is a major doubt for the World Cup after injuring his back a few weeks ago.
According to ESPN, the 25-year-old is set to undergo scans on Monday to determine the seriousness of the issue.
There is concern he might need a prolonged spell of rest and treatment that may ultimately rule him out of the World Cup.
Saliba has been named in France’s squad and remains part of Didier Deschamps’ plans for now, but the uncertainty around his condition has escalated.
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The centre-back played 50 of Arsenal’s 63 matches across all competitions this season and was central to their Premier League title win and run to the Champions League final, where they lost to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest.
French reports say Arsenal are preparing for William Saliba’s unavailability
However, reports in France are more optimistic about William Saliba’s participation in the World Cup — but it’s not good news from an Arsenal perspective.
L’Equipe now report that Saliba could still feature for France during the tournament, with the expectation that he would play through the issue before undergoing surgery at the end of the summer.
That would effectively rule Saliba out of the start of the Premier League season, with recovery from such a procedure likely to extend into the early weeks of the campaign at least.
If true, Arsenal may have to strengthen their defensive depth not just in terms of numbers and freshness, but making sure the technical levels remain high too.
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That way, Mikel Arteta won’t be so heavily reliant on the likes of Saliba, and can manage his load more smartly.
Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong is being monitored as one player who could do just that, as is Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Nathaniel Brown.
Ben White is expected to be put up for sale, but whether that will change depending on Saliba’s condition remains to be seen.
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