Mikel Arteta Outlines William Saliba Plan as Arsenal Defender Prepares for Under-21 Outing

Arsenal defender William Saliba will take the next step in his recovery by featuring for the club's Under-21s against Aston Villa on Sunday, manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed. The 25-year-old has been out injured for over three months after suffering a back injury with France at the World Cup and has yet to kick a ball for the Gunners this campaign. After being an unused substitute in Wednesday's Champions League victory away to Slavia Prague—his first matchday squad inclusion of the season—Saliba was left out of Saturday's home fixture against Hull City.

Arteta clarified that the centre-back's absence on Saturday was not caused by a setback, but is instead part of a structured approach to rebuild his match sharpness. Explaining the decision, Arteta said: “He needs some minutes. Obviously, the Champions League allows you to bring more players into the bench, but we believe that it’s the best thing to do, to play some minutes on the weekend with the Under-21s and then be fully fit for the international break.” Because the defender was not included in Zinedine Zidane's second France squad for Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey—despite Arteta being open to a call-up—Saliba must now wait until November 21 to potentially make his competitive first-team return.

The Frenchman's eventual comeback will deliver a major lift to the north London side, where he has proven to be an indispensable asset. Saliba's partnership with Gabriel formed the bedrock of Arsenal's Premier League title triumph last term, ending a 22-year wait as the duo conceded just 27 league goals across the entire season. Those performances also saw Saliba named in the PFA Team of the Year for the fourth consecutive time, reinforcing his status among the division's leading central defenders.

However, Saliba may not walk straight back into the starting lineup due to an impending selection headache. During his absence, £55 million summer recruit Ezri Konsa has excelled since moving from Aston Villa, helping the Gunners record three consecutive Premier League clean sheets. Evaluating the defensive options, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand stated on his YouTube channel that Konsa could be shifted to right-back—a position he played for England at the World Cup—to fit both players in. Ferdinand noted: “I think Saliba is one of those guys that you have to find room for in the team. He's that good, he's top... That's a great problem for Arteta to have. I wouldn't be surprised if Konsa goes back to right-back once Saliba comes back.”