Arteta troubled by Saliba injury after Anfield setback

Arsenal’s hopes suffered a blow as William Saliba was withdrawn early against Liverpool due to an ankle injury. Manager Mikel Arteta revealed after the match that Saliba sustained the issue in the warm-up but had initially been expected to play.

“I am because if he cannot play a game of this stature after you try it something is wrong,” Arteta admitted when questioned about his concern for Saliba’s fitness. The 24-year-old defender appeared unable to cope in his first two actions, prompting a necessary substitution.

“He twisted his ankle during the warm-up. We believed he could carry on. I could see in his first two actions he could not cope and we had to get him off,” Arteta explained. Arsenal were already under pressure after their narrow defeat, ending the match with further worries over squad depth.

Saliba’s absence could present significant defensive challenges for Arsenal in the coming fixtures. Arteta and Arsenal will be awaiting medical assessments to determine the severity of the injury and how long Saliba may be side-lined.