The Premier League leaders appear set to make do without a key player for an extended period of time.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to confirm if William Saliba will play again for the club this season.
A back injury has forced Saliba out of the last four Arsenal games. The 22-year-old defender was seen on an exercise bike earlier this week, but it appears he still has a long way to go before making a full recovery.
“No big news, the picture hasn’t changed from last week,” Arteta said in a press conference ahead of Friday’s game against Southampton.
“Regarding William, we still need to wait a bit more. He’s not progressing as quickly as we hoped. It’s delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take.
“At the moment it’s not possible to do.”
Will Saliba play again this season?
When asked if Saliba could miss the rest of the campaign, Arteta replied: “I don’t know. It’s a bit early to do [come to those conclusions],” he continued.
“Probably next week we will have more certainty. There is some evolution – he’s doing more activity, but he’s not ready yet to throw him onto the pitch at the level our sessions demand to compete in this league.”
Arteta also implied Oleksandr Zinchenko won’t be available on Friday. The left-back missed last weekend’s 2-2 draw at West Ham with a groin strain.
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