Arsenal fear five-month lay-off after Saliba suffers serious back injury

Half an hour into the first World Cup semi-final against Spain, the French international reportedly uttered "My back is gone, my back is gone" to his centre-back partner Dayot Upamecano, before being forced off.

Initially, the extent of the injury wasn't clear, but after further assessment, it doesn't look good.

According to L'Equipe, Saliba could miss between four and five months, as his condition requires surgery.

He has reportedly been dealing with a chronic back problem for some time now, but deliberately delayed the potential surgical procedure to avoid missing France's World Cup campaign. He reportedly played through the pain, relied on painkilling injections and trained under a specially tailored regime. In the end, it came back to haunt him.

Saliba's situation is similar to that of former Les Bleus and Barcelona central defender, Samuel Umtiti, who chose to postpone treatment on his knee to play in the 2018 World Cup. He won the trophy with France, but paid the high price for his decision.

Umtiti never fully recovered and never regained his best form. He soon lost his place as a regular starter at Camp Nou and, following short spells with Lecce and Lille, retired from football at the age of only 32.

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