Mikel Arteta has admitted that he is unsure whether William Saliba will be able to play again this season as fears grow at Arsenal over the severity of the defender’s back injury.
Arsenal have been hoping that Saliba would be able to feature in next week’s crucial top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City, but that is now regarded as highly unlikely.
Back injuries are often complicated to manage and Arteta said on Thursday that Saliba’s recovery has not been as smooth as the club’s medical team were hoping or expecting.
The 22-year-old limped out of Arsenal’s Europa League defeat by Sporting Lisbon and has subsequently missed his club’s last four matches. Arsenal have not kept a clean sheet in any of those games.
“We still have to wait a little bit more,” said Arteta of Saliba. “He is not progressing as quickly as we hoped. It is a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take. At the moment that is not possible to do.”
Asked whether Saliba’s problem could be an end-of-season injury, Arteta said: “I don’t know. It is a bit early to do [predictions]. Probably next week we are going to have more certainty.
“There is some evolution, he is doing more activity. But he is not there yet to start throwing him on the pitch at the level that the sessions demand, to compete in this league.”
Arsenal are more hopeful about the fitness of left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who missed Sunday’s draw at West Ham United with a tight groin but could return to the team for Friday’s match against Southampton.
Arteta backs Saka from the spot despite the miss
Arteta will insist that Bukayo Saka remains the club’s penalty taker despite his miss at West Ham. The Arsenal manager is so determined for Saka to take the next spot kick, he joked, that he will personally ensure it happens.
“Yes [he will take penalties],” said Arteta. “If not, I will go on the pitch and throw him the ball to make sure he takes the next one.
“He loves responsibility but he puts a lot on his shoulders as well. Again, if he had any doubt about how much people love him, respect him and admire him at the club, I think he had a very overwhelming reaction from everyone in the building and the club [following the West Ham game].
“In the end I think it can be something very positive that can give him a big lift because everyone acted in an unbelievable way towards him because he deserves it because of the way he is.”