William Saliba played 45 minutes for Arsenal’s U21s in their 5-2 win over Aston Villa on Sunday as he continued his return from a back injury.
Saliba’s injury and return
The 25-year-old centre-back has been out since suffering a back injury in the World Cup semi-finals with France. He returned to Arsenal’s matchday squad for their trip to Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
Arteta’s previous confirmation
Mikel Arteta had confirmed that Saliba played in a behind-closed-doors match for Arsenal at the end of October. Arteta also said: “really good place”.
Absence against Hull
Saliba was not part of Arsenal’s senior squad for their 1-0 win over Hull on Saturday. U21s head coach David Horseman told the club website: “He’s fine, by the way, it was all pre-planned (to play 45 minutes), so nobody needs to panic.”
Arsenal U21s’ goals
Max Dowman, Maalik Hashi, Evan Mooney and Andre Harriman-Annous scored in Arsenal’s U21s’ win over Aston Villa, with Harriman-Annous scoring twice. Dowman remains suspended from Arsenal’s first team after his red card in the Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat at Fleetwood.
