Arsenal were without William Saliba for their Premier League clash against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, leaving fans sweating over the star centre-back’s whereabouts.
Saliba’s only absence this season was enforced thanks to a one-match ban he received for his red card in the 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth in October last year.
The Frenchman was expected to start alongside Gabriel in the away game against Villa, who are going from strength to strength under the management of former Arsenal boss Unai Emery, but it was a surprising omission when the lineups were announced.
“He felt something before the game, something muscular,” confirmed coach Mikel Arteta. “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.”
Given the limited information provided by Arteta, there is obvious concern about Saliba ahead of an important series of games. Arsenal are trying to beat Liverpool in the fight for the Premier League title – the Reds scored a late goal at Brentford on Saturday to claim a fine 2-0 win – and have Champions League games against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona to.
The Gunners also need to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle.
Saliba joins a number of other first-team regulars on the sidelines, adding to Arteta’s injury woes. Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for at least a few more weeks – the England winger is recovering from a torn hamstring – and Saliba’s defensive colleagues Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White are also out of action.
Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, will miss the rest of the season after tearing his cruciate ligament in the recent FA Cup third round defeat to Manchester United.