Arsenal defender William Saliba remains absent from training, but the club are hoping that he will be able to return to action soon, with the centre-back described as ‘close’ to recovery.
The Frenchman has missed Arsenal’s last three Premier League games after picking up a back injury during their penalty shoot-out defeat to Sporting CP in the Europa League, having to be substituted after just 20 minutes.
In his absence, Rob Holding has filled in at centre-back, and despite giving away a penalty at Anfield (that Mohamed Salah missed) he has been solid for the most part.
But the Gunners will be desperate to have Saliba back as soon as possible with a title showdown with Manchester City on the horizon, with the game likely to determine whether the Premier League leaves the Etihad for north London this campaign.
However, Saliba is unlikely to feature in Sunday’s trip to relegation-threatened West Ham, with sources claiming that the Gunners are looking to be cautious as they manage the defender’s return to action so as not to further aggravate the issue, which could see him miss the rest of the season.
🔴 William Saliba is “close” to returning for Arsenal
⏳ The Gunners are being cautious about bringing him back too early because they don’t want his back injury to re-emerge pic.twitter.com/TqXYgNmrHH
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 11, 2023
In better news, however, striker Eddie Nketiah has returned to first team training after suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of action since the return of Gabriel Jesus.
With eight games to play, the Gunners sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League, though should Manchester City win their game in hand and win against Mikel Arteta’s side at the Etihad, the title would be in the Cityzens’ hands.
