Arsenal fear lengthy William Saliba absence amid major injury update

Arsenal are bracing for William Saliba to miss up to five months of the new season after the defender aggravated a long-standing back injury during France's World Cup semi-final defeat by Spain.

Saliba, 25, lasted 30 minutes of Tuesday's 2-0 loss in Dallas before going down without contact, kicking the ball away and lowering himself to the ground.

He was replaced by Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix and left the pitch visibly emotional, having reportedly told team-mates: "My back is gone."

The Sporting News understands the Gunners expect the 25-year-old to be sidelined for several months, with surgery considered the most likely route to resolving the issue.

Further scans in the coming days will determine the exact course of treatment, but the club are preparing for the possibility of starting the season without their first-choice centre-back.

Saliba had been managing the problem since the closing stages of last season, playing through discomfort during Arsenal's Premier League title win and their run to the Champions League final.

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He trained on a reduced programme and used pain relief to get through matches with France adopting the same approach at the World Cup, monitoring his workload closely and resting him for the final group game against Norway once qualification was already secured.

"I've had some minor niggles for several months," Saliba said earlier in the tournament.

"I've been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. The World Cup comes around only once every four years, so you've got to grit your teeth. I'm not at 100%, but there are plenty of players who aren't at 100% either. You can't make excuses."

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France boss Didier Deschamps had played down concerns over Saliba's fitness before the tournament, insisting he was fine to travel.

But the toll of a season in which he made more than 50 appearances for club and country appears to have caught up with him ahead of the new Premier League season.

His likely absence is a significant blow for Mikel Arteta as Arsenal prepare to defend their Premier League title.

Saliba has formed one of the division's most effective central-defensive partnerships alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, and the pair started the vast majority of matches together last season.

Arteta's side are already exploring defensive reinforcements as a result, and Saliba's expected recovery timeline has been raised in informal conversations with potential targets as the club assess their options before the transfer window closes.