Arsenal star William Saliba has been ‘playing with BACK FRACTURE’ since crunch clash in APRIL as he faces surgery

WILLIAM SALIBA reportedly played with back fracture for MONTHS and now looks set for surgery. The Arsenal star is said to have picked up an injury during a 2-1 loss to Bournemouth in April. William Saliba has played with a back fracture since April Credit: EPA The Arsenal and France defender is set for surgery on his injury Credit: Getty And he has continued to go out on the pitch through the pain ever since – but it could cost him. Frenchman Saliba, 25, had to come off for his country in the semi-final defeat to Spain on Tuesday. Sign up for the Arsenal newsletter Thank you! He is now being lined up for an operation which could rule him out of club action for nearly a year. Speaking after the World Cup exit, Saliba told L’Equipe: “I’ve had some minor niggles for several months. “I’ve been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. “But the coaching staff are handling it very well. “The World Cup comes around only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth. “I’m not at 100 per cent, but there are plenty of players who aren’t at 100 per cent either. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS “You can’t make excuses.” Saliba added: “My back gave out.” French publisher RMC Sport claim that he has been taking daily painkillers to get through the problem during the tournament. He received daily treatment from the France medical team but wasn’t able to train with his team-mates all the time. Despite this, Saliba remained at the heart of Didier Deschamps‘ backline. He played the full game in all but one match leading up to the semi – and that was against a rotated Norway, who France beat 4-1 in the group stage. That came off the back of another gruelling season under Mikel Arteta, where he started 30 Prem fixtures for the third successive year. Saliba made 50 appearances for the Gunners in total, racking up over 4,200 minutes. Including France matches before the World Cup he was up to 54 games and nearly 4,500 minutes. Now it is over to Arteta to deal with as Saliba tries to recover. Comment now