Arsenal have named their squad for the Champions League league phase - and manager Mikel Arteta has dropped a major injury hint about William Saliba in doing so
William Saliba applauding before an Arsenal match at Emirates Stadium
William Saliba is eligible to play for Arsenal in the Champions League league phase(Image: Getty Images)
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Arsenal have included William Saliba in their squad for the Champions League league phase.
Saliba, 25, has not played for the Gunners since they lost on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in last season's final. The defender sustained a back injury during this summer's World Cup.
He was forced off half an hour into France's semi-final defeat against Spain. Despite being named in their subsequent loss to England in the bronze final, Saliba did not feature.
The player then returned to London for specialist reviews. Extensive assessments concluded that surgery was not recommended, and Saliba instead started a managed recovery programme.
The club did not set a timeline for Saliba's return. They only said he is expected to be out of action for an extended period.
Arsenal also acknowledged that everyone is fully focused on supporting Saliba to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible. Six weeks later, his inclusion in their league-phase squad suggests they are hopeful of having him back at some stage before the end of January.
The last round of matches are in the final week of that month. The Gunners are scheduled to host Azerbaijan Premier League champions Sabah at Emirates Stadium.
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Twenty-two players are registered on their List A, three fewer than the maximum allowed by UEFA. Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly are not, as they do not need to be, because they are eligible for their List B.
Lewis-Skelly qualifies after being born after 1 January 2005 and has been eligible to play for the Gunners for at least two straight years since their 15th birthday. He will also be able to be there again next year.
Dowman can also be on it, too. That is because he is a 16-year-old who has been registered with Arsenal for the previous two years without interruption.
Arsenal's Champions League league phase squad
David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Illan Meslier; William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White, Piero Hincapie, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Ezri Konsa, Riccardo Calafiori; Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz, Martin Zubimendi, Bruno Guimaraes, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Christos Tzolis
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