William Saliba reportedly faces five months on the sidelines after limping out of France’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain.
The Arsenal defender had been following a modified training programme throughout the World Cup so far, in an attempt to manage his back pain.
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However, the 25-year-old could manage just 30 minutes of Tuesday’s 2-0 semi-final loss.
And in worrying news for Premier League champions Arsenal, Saliba could now be out of action until December.
French journalist and regular talkSPORT contributor Julien Laurens claimed following the injury that Saliba could be heard saying, ‘My back is gone’.
And now L’Equipe have stated that the Gunners fear the former Marseille loan star faces four to five months out.
They state that the player is now set to undergo surgery in an attempt to fix his chronic back issue.
How did Saliba’s injury occur?
The incident occurred with Saliba under no immediate pressure.
Saliba went down and signalled to the bench to be replaced with France already 1-0 down to the 2010 world champions.
The centre-back slowly walked off the pitch, helped by two members of the team’s medical staff.
Les Bleus’ boss Didier Deschamps turned to Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix as his replacement alongside Dayot Upamecano.
But things went from bad to worse for France as Tottenham’s Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s lead in the 58th minute and booked their place in the final, where they will face Argentina following their dramatic 2-1 comeback win over England.
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Saliba was a key figure for the Gunners in the 2025/26 season, helping the club to their first Premier League title in 22 years.
The Paris-born star had been just as crucial for France en route to the World Cup and during the tournamen, despite nursing a back issue.
He missed the final group stage match against Norway in a bid to preserve his fitness and with France already having booked their place in the last-32.
His back complaint was one that was closely monitored and managed by France’s medical team.
Saliba recently admitted he had been playing with the problem throughout Arsenal’s Champions League tussles and Premier League title run-in.
“I’ve had some minor niggles for several months,” Saliba said during the early stages of the World Cup
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“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. The World Cup comes around only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth.
“I’m not at 100 percent, but there are plenty of players who aren’t at 100 per cent either. You can’t make excuses.”