William Saliba could miss up to a month with the ankle injury that forced the Arsenal defender to withdraw from the France squad, a report has revealed.
Saliba limped off just five minutes into Arsenal’s 1–0 defeat to Liverpool before the international break, with manager Mikel Arteta later revealing the Frenchman twisted his ankle in the warm-up and wanted to try play through the pain.
He was still included in the France squad for this month’s international fixtures but withdrew very quickly after speaking with the national team doctor. A statement diagnosed Saliba with a “sprained left ankle”.
According to L’Équipe, the belief inside the France camp is that Saliba will not be available until after the October international break, potentially missing as much as four weeks of action for Arsenal.
Such an absence would come as an enormous blow to Arsenal, who are braced for some tough fixtures in the coming weeks.
In the Premier League, Nottingham Forest visit the Emirates next weekend, with Manchester City following suit one week later. There is also a trip to Newcastle United and a visit from West Ham United before club football takes another break.
Arteta’s side also appear set to begin their Champions League league phase campaign without Saliba. La Liga’s Athletic Club are the first opponents on the agenda and there is also a home clash with Greek giants Olympiacos.
Mixed into all the fun is a Carabao Cup third-round affair with Port Vale, for which Saliba was always likely to be rested anyway.
Cristhian Mosquera replaced Saliba against Liverpool and is a contender to do so again for the remainder of the Frenchman’s absence, but Deadline Day signing Piero Hincapié may have moved towards the top of the pecking order after his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.
Riccardo Calafiori, who has started the season at left back but is equally as comfortable in a central role, could also help cover for Saliba, with Myles Lewis-Skelly ready to return on the left if needed.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Rocked by Fresh William Saliba Injury Update, Recovery Timeline ‘Revealed’.