Arsenal legend Alan Smith has raised questions about the fitness of William Saliba and Declan Rice following their exertions at the World Cup.
Saliba was forced off in France’s semi-final against Spain due to a back problem he had been managing throughtout the tournament. Similarly, Rice has been dealing with nerve pain in his hamstring.
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There are serious concerns about burnout, and speaking exclusively to Gooner News (courtesy of Best Betting Sites UK), Smith said there is a chance that both players won’t be back to play Arsenal’s first Premier League match next month:
“So often you get a hangover from World Cups with players, and sometimes it’s not until after Christmas that they come again, and they’ve had rests. They might pick up niggly injuries. Saliba, I mean, I did the game yesterday, and Saliba apparently, in French, was saying my back’s gone, my back’s gone, and he’s had this problem. So you’re just hoping it’s not too serious.”
“And also, you want to clear Declan Rice’s hamstring issue. And quite often, that’s only through rest. So it’s not easy. And it might be that Arsenal don’t have those to start the season. Declan Rice is going to play, I think, isn’t he, against Argentina. So it’s not as if he’s not fit to play, but he could really do with, you know, a good six weeks of no football, I think, but whether he’s going to get that’s another matter.”
Saliba is more of a worry than Rice
As Smith mentions, the fact that William Saliba was in so much pain that he was forced to leave the pitch against Spain does suggest he won’t be back in action for a while.
Fans won’t need reminding that the Frenchman had back issues during the 2022/23 season, with many attributing his absence for the club blowing their lead in the title race.
It has been suggested that Saliba’s back issue could be chronic, and the club’s interest in Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa is related to taking some of the workload off the France international.
Another Arsenal player is a fitness concern
It shouldn’t be forgotten either that Bukayo Saka has not played regularly for England at the World Cup due to an ongoing Achilles injury.
Noni Madueke has started 4 of the 6 games (before the semi-final), mainly because Saka is unable to play every few days.