France coach Didier Deschamps said on Wednesday that Arsenal defender William Saliba is “fine” and could play a match tomorrow if needed.
The comments came two days after reports surfaced that Saliba’s World Cup status was in doubt due to a back injury.
Saliba, 25, played the full 120 minutes in Arsenal’s Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. The center-back helped Arsenal win their first Premier League title in 22 years while appearing in 50 of 63 matches across all competitions.
“William is fine and will be managed,” Deschamps said. “If he had needed to play tomorrow, he would have played.”
Saliba arrived at France’s training camp on Tuesday along with five players from PSG: Bradley Barcola, Lucas Hernandez, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Warren Zaire-Emery. France will play the Ivory Coast on Thursday followed by another friendly against Northern Ireland on Monday before traveling to the United States.
France begin Group I play against Senegal on June 16 before matches against Iraq on June 22 and Norway on June 26.
“I will manage the six players involved in the Champions League, even moreso those who started, given what lies ahead,” Deschamps said. “All 26 players are in good condition. This warmup match is one step with another in four days against Northern Ireland.”
Saliba, who has 31 caps since making his senior debut for France in 2022, injured his back in May and reportedly aggravated it during Saturday’s loss to PSG. He is expected to start for Deschamps alongside Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano.
The other defenders on France’s 26-man roster are Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, Theo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kounde and Maxence Lacroix.
World Cup teams have until 24 hours before their first match to replace a player on their roster due to serious injury or illness. Any changes are subject to FIFA approval.
–Field Level Media
