Saliba plays 45 minutes for Arsenal U21s as first-team return edges closer

William Saliba took another step toward first-team football on Sunday, playing the opening 45 minutes of Arsenal’s U21s’ 5-2 win over Aston Villa as he builds fitness following a back injury sustained during France’s World Cup semi-final campaign.

The 25-year-old centre-back has been sidelined since that tournament, but his rehabilitation has accelerated in recent weeks. Mikel Arteta confirmed at the end of October that Saliba had featured in a behind-closed-doors match, and the defender then made a surprise appearance on the matchday squad for Arsenal’s Champions League trip to Slavia Prague, with Arteta describing him as being in a “really good place”.

Sunday’s outing with the U21s was the most visible evidence yet of his progress. U21s head coach David Horseman was effusive in his praise, both for Saliba’s quality and his conduct around the younger players.

“He’s the ultimate professional from the minute he got in this morning to half-time,” Horseman told the club website. “He’s fine, by the way, it was all pre-planned (to play 45 minutes), so nobody needs to panic. Just the way he was in the meeting, everything about him, the way he prepares on the bus — the lads probably won’t notice it, but they should.”

Horseman added: “Obviously, everybody knows he’s a world-class defender, one of the best in the world, if not the best. It was brilliant, but he was so good around the lads, you’d never know it. He’ll leave us soon and go back with the first team.”

Saliba was not included in the senior squad that beat Hull 1-0 on Saturday, but he is reported to be on course to return to Arteta’s matchday group for the trip to Newcastle after the international break. Arteta has little immediate pressure to rush him back, given the form of summer signing Ezri Konsa, who has filled in capably during the Frenchman’s absence.

Elsewhere in Sunday’s U21s win, Max Dowman was among the scorers. The midfielder remains suspended from first-team duty following his red card in the Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat at Fleetwood last month. Maalik Hashi, Evan Mooney, and Andre Harriman-Annous — who scored twice — also got on the scoresheet.