April 24, (THEWILL) – Arsenal’s hopes of securing a crucial win against Manchester City on Wednesday, have been dealt a major blow with the news that defender, William Saliba, will miss the game due to a back injury.
The Frenchman’s absence has been felt keenly by the Gunners, who have yet to keep a clean sheet in the five English Premier League games he has missed. While hopes had been raised that Saliba might recover in time for the big match, fresh reports suggest that his season may in fact be over.
The severity of Saliba’s back problem has been a subject of debate, with Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, admitting that progress has been slower than expected. However, recent assessments have shown that Saliba is unlikely to be fit for the Man City game, and could also miss the encounter with Chelsea on May 2.
Although the injury is not believed to be serious, the short time frame until the end of the season means that Arsenal may have to make do without their key defensive player. With Saliba out, Arteta has turned to Rob Holding to partner Gabriel Magalhaes at the back, with January signing, Jakub Kiwior, seeing limited action in the Premier League.
The league leaders have also had to do without Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny due to injuries, while midfielder, Granit Xhaka, missed the weekend’s draw with Southampton due to illness although he is expected to return soon.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
