William Saliba is a starter at Arsenal and his introduction to their lineup at the start of this season has fixed their previously leaky defence, making him one of the finest young defenders in Europe.
France selected him for their World Cup campaign and he hoped to play an important role for his country in the competition, but that hasn’t been the case.
Les Bleus are blessed with quality centre-backs, making a selection difficult for their manager, Didier Deschamps.
They have reached the final with a partnership which puts Saliba on the bench behind Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate on the pecking order.
After their win against Morocco in the semi-final, it was reported that Konate and Raphael Varane were ill, becoming the latest member of their squad to catch the flu.
This boosted Saliba’s chance of starting the World Cup final, but a report on Football London reports both defenders have recovered and returned to training.
Just Arsenal Opinion
Saliba is a terrific defender and he will get his chance to become a regular in the French national team.
He needs to continue performing consistently well at Arsenal, and they will consider him good enough to start regularly sooner than later.