Arsenal defender William Saliba faces a battle to be fit for the World Cup after picking up an injury in the Champions League final, according to a report.
Saliba has been an almost-ever-present in the Arsenal defence this season, which was the best in both the Premier League and Champions League.
He played 50 games in all competitions, including 31 in the Premier League as the Gunners won their first title since 2004.
After missing the win over Crystal Palace on the final day of the season, he returned for the Champions League final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain at the weekend, playing 120 minutes as the game went to penalties.
According to Get French Football News, however, that may have come at a cost. The French publication report that he had been playing with an unspecified minor injury and aggravated it in Budapest.
The 25-year-old is usually first choice for France at centre back, alongside either Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano or former Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.
Arsenal defender William Saliba (second left) could miss the World Cup through injury
France are set to play a tournament warm-up match against Ivory Coast on Thursday, while their first game of the World Cup is on June 16 against Senegal.
Saliba is set to have scans on Monday to determine the severity of the issue, but there are fears he faces a few weeks out.
Other defenders in the France squad include Lucas Hernandez, Maxence Lacroix and Jules Kounde.
Didier Deschamps’ side are one of the favourites to win the trophy, having finished runners-up to Argentina in 2022. Their attack includes impressive names including Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
The manager said upon naming his squad: ‘I have ambition, and I want the players to have it too. But I don’t want us to lose our humility. I’m not going to hide and say we’re not among the teams with the potential to become world champions.
‘But there are eight, maybe 10 teams that can say that. It’s not by shouting “we’re the best, we’re the strongest”.’
After meeting Senegal, they will also take on Iraq and Norway in the group stage in North America.
