Saliba back in Arsenal first-team training before Slavia Prague tie

William Saliba was back in Arsenal's first-team open training on Tuesday morning at London Colney, according to the Daily Mirror, after nearly five months out with a back injury. Arsenal travel to Slavia Prague for a Champions League match on Wednesday.

The Mirror called it a "huge injury boost", which is the sort of phrase clubs and newspapers both enjoy. The useful part is narrower: the central defender has been seen training with the group, having worked individually over the last few weeks.

How long he has been away

Saliba is 25 and, according to the Independent, has not played this season. Our earlier report on his return puts the start of the absence at July, when he limped off after half an hour of France's World Cup semi-final against Spain.

The reports do not tell quite the same story about the injury itself. The Mirror says the back problem was "aggravated at the World Cup", while the Independent says it was picked up during the tournament. The sources do not settle which is right, so treat the origin as unclear.

The timing of his return to the group is also reported differently. The Mirror and the Independent place it on Tuesday. Our earlier story, citing the Standard, says he moved into first-team training on Monday without issues and took part again on Tuesday. The Standard also reported that specialists decided surgery was not necessary but extended rest was.

Arteta sounded encouraged in mid-October. "I think next week we have another MRI with him to see how the healing process is at the moment," he said. "But every sign so far has been very, very positive, and yeah, it will be great to have him." The results of that scan have not been made public in the material available.

The problem with a settled back line

Here is where the managerial questions start. Arsenal did not wait for Saliba. Summer signing Ezri Konsa has played alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, and the Independent notes four clean sheets in a row in the Premier League.

The latest came on Sunday, a 1-0 win at Liverpool that the Independent describes as a defensive masterclass and Arsenal's first win at Anfield in 14 years. With Manchester City losing to Brighton, the Mirror reports Arteta's side are now three points clear.

So the manager has a defence that is winning and a returning Saliba, whose absence Konsa has covered. Keeping a pairing with four straight league clean sheets is the easy decision to defend. Somebody gets blamed if a fit, rested Saliba is rushed in and the run ends. Arteta decides, and the cost of a wrong call is borne by the dressing room and, eventually, the table.

The Standard, as relayed in our earlier story, suggests Konsa could move to right-back once Saliba is fully fit, if Arteta wants to keep him in the side. It does suggest a way to bring Saliba back without dropping Konsa.

The rest of the training pitch

Saliba was not the only name. The Mirror says Bukayo Saka was not spotted because of a thigh problem. Christos Tzolis trained after returning from a hamstring injury on Sunday. Eberechi Eze also trained, despite being an unused substitute at the weekend. The Mirror adds that Arteta had said it was impressive Eze even made the bench.

Max Dowman could also feature against Slavia Prague, the Mirror says, because his three-game ban for the red card in the Carabao Cup defeat to Fleetwood Town applies domestically. That ban does not cover Europe.

What to watch

The first question is simple and unanswered: is Saliba in the travelling squad for Prague? The reports do not say. Training in front of the cameras is one thing. Being named in a match squad is another.

The second is how Arteta handles the weekend. Arsenal host Hull City at Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, before the November international break, and later visit Newcastle United. The @handofarsenal account claims Saliba is in contention for Slavia and for Hull, depending on how he comes through the coming sessions.

The third is Saka. His thigh problem has no timeline in the reports, and it is the kind of detail that decides how much depth Arteta needs on Wednesday.

For now, the news is that one of Arsenal's best defenders is training again and the defence did not need him. Whether that is a luxury or a dilemma depends on what Arteta does with the first team sheet.