William Saliba trained with Arsenal on Tuesday and could face Slavia Prague on Wednesday, after a back injury that has kept him out since July.
William Saliba trained with the Arsenal squad in front of the media on Tuesday morning, and a return against Slavia Prague on Wednesday night is now a live possibility.
The defender has not played a minute since limping off after half an hour of France's World Cup semi-final against Spain. According to the Standard, specialists decided surgery was not necessary but an extended rest was. He moved from individual drills on the grass to first-team training on Monday, came through it without issues, and took part again on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta and his players fly to Prague later today. The Standard does not say whether Saliba is in the travelling party. The @handofarsenal account claims he is in contention for Slavia and for Saturday's game against Hull, depending on how he comes through the coming sessions. That is a social media post, not a club statement.
The context is a pleasant problem. Ezri Konsa, signed in the summer to cover for Saliba, has been superb alongside Gabriel and is probably Arsenal's best player this season, in the Standard's view. The paper suggests Konsa could move to right-back once Saliba is fully fit, if Arteta wants to keep him in the side.
My take: there is no reason to hurry. Hull is followed by a two-week international break, so caution costs Arsenal very little. Who decides is Arteta. Who gets blamed if it goes wrong is also Arteta.
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Two sources, two temperatures. The Standard is cautious about the Prague squad, while a social media account has him in contention for Slavia and Hull. I'd wait for the team sheet.
Konsa has been the best player in the side without Saliba. The question is not whether Saliba returns, it is who makes way. One of them may end up at right-back.
