Arsenal were without William Saliba for their Premier League clash with Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, leaving fans to sweat over the star centre-back’s whereabouts.
Saliba’s only absence this season was made up, thanks to a one-match ban due to a red card in Defeated by Bournemouth 2-0 in October last year.
The Frenchman was expected to start alongside Gabriel for the visit to Villa, who continue to strengthen under the guidance of the former Arsenal boss, Unai Emery, but was a surprising omission when the squads were announced.
“He felt something before the match, something muscular,” manager Mikel Arteta confirmed. “I don’t think it’s too much, but he couldn’t train [on Friday]. He didn’t feel well enough to play, so we have to assess the situation.”
With the limited information provided by Arteta, there will be obvious concerns about Saliba ahead of an important run of games. Arsenal bid to chase down Liverpool in Premier League title race – The Reds struck late at Brentford earlier on Saturday to achieve a great victory of 2-0 – and the Champions League matches against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona will follow.
The Gunners also need to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Newcastle.
Saliba joins a number of other first-team regulars in the side, adding another layer to Arteta’s injury headache. Bukayo Saka will be out for at least another couple of weeks – the England winger is recovering from a torn hamstring – and Saliba’s defensive colleagues, Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White, are also sidelined.
Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL recently Defeat by Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup.
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