William Saliba Faces Lengthy Lay-off After World Cup Injury Scare

Arsenal could be without William Saliba until December after the France defender suffered a suspected serious back injury during Tuesday’s 2-0 World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain.

William Saliba, 25, lasted only 30 minutes before signalling to the bench for a substitution, despite appearing to be under no immediate pressure.

Saliba walked off slowly with the support of two members of France’s medical staff as Didier Deschamps introduced Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.

According to talkSPORT, French journalist Julien Laurens revealed Saliba could be heard saying, “My back is gone” after leaving the pitch. French newspaper L’Equipe also reported that Arsenal fear the centre-back could spend four to five months on the sidelines, with surgery expected to address a long-standing back problem.

The setback is a major concern for the Premier League champions, with Saliba having played a central role in Arsenal’s title-winning 2025/26 campaign. He had also been one of France’s standout performers at the World Cup, despite following a modified training programme to manage persistent back pain.

The Paris-born defender had already missed France’s final group match against Norway to protect his fitness after qualification for the knockout rounds had been secured. Saliba also recently admitted he had been carrying the injury throughout Arsenal’s Premier League title run-in and their Champions League campaign.

France’s evening deteriorated further after Saliba’s exit as Spain doubled their lead through Pedro Porro in the 58th minute to book a place in the World Cup final, where they will face Argentina following the South Americans’ 2-1 win over England.