Arsenal were without William Saliba for their Premier League clash with Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, leaving fans sweating over the star centre-back’s whereabouts.
Saliba’s only absence this season had been enforced, courtesy of a one-match ban picked up for his red card in Defeat by 2-0 against Bournemouth in October of last year.
The Frenchman was expected to start alongside Gabriel for the visit of Villa, who will continue to grow under the guidance of the former arsenal boss Unai Emery but was a surprise omission when the line-ups were announced.
“He felt something before the game, something muscular,” coach Mikel Arteta confirmed. “I don’t think it’s too much, but he couldn’t train (Friday). He wasn’t well enough to play, so we have to assess the situation.”
With the limited information provided by Arteta, there will be an obvious concern for Saliba ahead of an important run of games. Arsenal are trying to chase down Liverpool in the Premier League title race – the Reds struck late at Brentford earlier on Saturday to get a great 2-0 win – and have Champions League matches against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona.
The Gunners must also overturn a 2-0 deficit in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg with Newcastle.
Saliba joins a number of other first-team regulars on the sidelines, adding another layer to Arteta. injury headache Bukayo Saka will be out for at least another few weeks – the England winger is recovering from a torn hamstring – and Saliba’s defensive colleagues Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White are also sidelined.
Gabriel Jesús, meanwhile, will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL recently FA Cup third round defeat to Manchester United.
