William Saliba injury: Arsenal confirm France international will miss 'extended period' after returning from World Cup with back problem
Arsenal central defender William Saliba is set for a spell on the sidelines after returning from the World Cup with a back injury; Saliba is not expected to undergo surgery and instead will require a "period of rehabilitation" according to the Gunners
Thursday 23 July 2026 09:00, UK
Arsenal have confirmed William Saliba will be out for an extended period with a back injury.
However, the France international central defender is not expected to have surgery, according to a club statement.
Saliba was substituted in the 30th minute of France's World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain.
"William Saliba has returned to us from World Cup duty, where he played an integral role in France reaching the semi-finals of the competition," the Arsenal statement reads.
- Transfer Centre LIVE! | Arsenal news & transfers🔴⚪
- Arsenal fixtures & scores | FREE Arsenal PL highlights▶️
- Got Sky? Watch Arsenal games LIVE on your phone📱
- No Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺
- Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want
"Subsequent specialist reviews on William's return to London this week have confirmed that he has suffered a back injury which will require a period of rehabilitation.
"Extensive assessments have concluded that surgery is not recommended, but William should now commence a managed recovery programme.
"William's rehabilitation will commence immediately, with continual management of his injury, and he is expected to be out of action for an extended period.
"Everyone is fully focused on supporting William to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible."
Saliba's injury comes after other key players Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard struggled with fitness issues last season. Rice and Saka had to then manage injury problems whilst playing at the World Cup.
All players who were at the tournament receive a mandatory three weeks off after their country's involvement ended before they need to report for pre-season training.
Arsenal's first of four pre-season games is on August 1 against Girona, followed by the Community Shield against Manchester City in Cardiff on August 16. They begin their Premier League title defence on Friday August 21 at home to Coventry, live on Sky Sports.
Who could fill in for Saliba?
In more positive news for Arsenal, Ben White is back in pre-season training after his knee injury sustained in May.
The England international sustained the injury during the crucial 1-0 win over West Ham in the Gunners' third-from-last game of the 2025/26 Premier League season. He was subsequently ruled out for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Jurrien Timber however is still rehabilitating from the groin injury that kept him out of the World Cup. The defender said he is "hopefully back soon".
Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori are also back for pre-season and can fill in at centre-back if required.
Piero Hincapie is expected to return to training within the next week after Ecuador's Round of 32 elimination from the World Cup. Saliba's partner in crime Gabriel Magalhaes is also expected to link up with the rest of the squad soon.
