News Focus
- William Saliba joins France camp despite reports of a back injury
- Didier Deschamps rules the Arsenal centre-back out of the Ivory Coast friendly only
- The 25-year-old remains in line for World Cup duty but may need surgery after the tournament
- Six Champions League finalists, including Saliba and five PSG stars, given extra recovery time
France manager Didier Deschamps has calmed fears over William Saliba’s fitness. The Arsenal defender is fit for the World Cup despite recent injury reports.
News from France earlier this week suggested Saliba has a back problem. Reports claimed the 25-year-old will need surgery after the international tournament this summer. However, the former AS Saint-Etienne youth player still joined the France squad on Tuesday.
Speaking before Thursday’s friendly against Ivory Coast in Nantes, Deschamps confirmed Saliba will not feature. But he made it clear the defender’s World Cup spot is secure.
“If William Saliba had to play tomorrow, he would have played,” the France boss stated.
Deschamps also said six players who featured in Saturday’s Champions League final will not start. Saliba and Paris Saint-Germain stars Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé only reported for duty on Tuesday.
“I have to manage their workload, even if it goes against the team’s overall strategy. But now is the time to do it,” Deschamps added.
The Arsenal defender and his PSG teammates should play against Northern Ireland on Monday. That match is France’s final warm-up game before the World Cup.