William Saliba will avoid back surgery after medical tests found no further structural damage, but the Arsenal defender still faces a lengthy rehabilitation that could sideline him for much of next season.
Relief for Arsenal, but not much of it. Fresh medical tests have cleared William Saliba from needing immediate back surgery, easing fears over his World Cup-ending injury.
According to L’Équipe, the 25-year-old is now leaning toward conservative, long-term rehab instead of going under the knife.
Saliba had collapsed 30 minutes into France’s 2-0 semi-final loss to Spain, telling Dayot Upamecano his back was “finished.” He’d been managing the pain for months with painkillers just to help Arsenal win the league and push Les Bleus deep into the tournament.
The rehab route still threatens to keep him out for a significant chunk of next season, pushing Arsenal to eye defensive cover like Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
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