How long will William Saliba be out with injury? | OneFootball

William Saliba faces several weeks on the sidelines after twisting his ankle at Anfield, an injury that forced him off within five minutes of Arsenal’s defeat to Liverpool.

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The defender hurt his left ankle in the warm-up, attempted to declare himself fit, but was unable to continue after an early challenge with Hugo Ekitike.

He was replaced by summer signing Cristhian Mosquera, who made his Premier League debut in testing circumstances.

Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards that Saliba’s determination to start had quickly given way to the reality of the situation. “He twisted his ankle during the warm-up, and he came in and he said he believed that he could carry on and play, but straight away in the first two actions I could see that he couldn’t cope, and we had to get him out unfortunately,” the Arsenal manager explained.

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“When he cannot play in a game of that stature, there is clearly something wrong.”

Saliba will miss France’s upcoming international fixtures and could be absent for between three and six weeks depending on the severity of the sprain.

If scans confirm only a minor Grade 1 sprain, there is a chance of a return within a fortnight. A more serious Grade 2 or 3 diagnosis, however, would keep him out until early October.

Arsenal’s medical staff will use the international break to run further tests and monitor swelling before establishing a precise timeline.

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Arteta praised Mosquera’s composure under pressure but acknowledged the wider strain on his squad, already without Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Ben White, with Martin Odegaard struggling.

All being well, Arsenal and Saliba will be able to target the home match against Nottingham Forest on 13 September as an optimistic return date.