Arsenal lost both William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu to injuries during their game against Sporting Lisbon before the international break.
The Japan international came off worse with a knee injury that required surgery. He will now miss the remainder of the season as a result, which is a massive blow.
It was believed that Saliba, on the other hand, only had a minor back issue. However, it looks like it is slightly more serious than what the doctors first suspected.
William Saliba’s injury is worse than what Arsenal first expected
After Saliba hobbled off the pitch against Sporting last Thursday, there was some hope that the Frenchman would be available for the derby against Crystal Palace.
However, he missed the game due to injury and the same problem forced him to withdraw from the French national team for their games against the Netherlands and Ireland.
Arsenal fans are really worried now and Ryan Taylor has revealed that the 22-year-old’s injury is a bit worse than first expected. He is being assessed ahead of the return of Premier League action next week.
The journalist told GiveMeSport: “Arsenal need Saliba to be fit and ready as soon as possible.
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“There is kind of an element of mystery about the injury at the moment, just in the sense that it wasn’t initially feared to be anything really significant and there was a chance he could have played against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Obviously, he was forced to drop out of the France squad and now there are further assessments on that problem.
“I don’t anticipate it to be serious, but it might just be a bit more of a problem than first thought for Arsenal.”
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Arsenal could find themselves in real trouble if Saliba is not back from his injury soon.
The £27 million (Goal) Frenchman, alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, has formed a sensational central defensive partnership for Arsenal, and the two defenders are among the biggest reasons why Arsenal are on top of the Premier League table.
Arsenal’s first game back after the international break is against Leeds United at home. The Gunners should be able to cope without him in that fixture, but they need him back after that.
Mikel Arteta’s men take on Liverpool at Anfield, West Ham at the London Stadium, Southampton at home and Manchester City away in their next four games. Without Saliba, they’ll likely struggle.
