Former Premier League defender Michael Dawson has insisted that Arsenal have a reason for concern with William Saliba's injury. The defender has been out for over a month now and will miss Sunday's Premier League game with West Ham.
Saliba suffered a back injury in the Gunners' Europa League exit to Sporting CP in March. He has missed the games over Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Liverpool and was forced to withdraw from the France national team.
Mikel Arteta confirmed on Friday that the 22-year-old would miss this weekend's trip to the London Stadium. "William [Saliba] is still not available. He's progressing well and we're hopeful that we'll have him available in the next few weeks. We'll have to see," the Gunners boss said.
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And ahead of the short trip across London, Dawson has voiced his concerns over Arsenal's defensive security without Saliba alongside Gabriel Magalhaes. “I said this a few weeks ago. The way they play and the way Saliba covers ground in a one vs one against a centre-forward, you look at Rob Holding, he’s done a good job, but he’s not Saliba," he said on Sky Sports News.
"Saliba can defend, he’s good in both boxes, he gets his head on it. That’s a concern for them, how long he’ll be out because they’ve missed him in recent weeks.
“Getting him back will make them even stronger than they already are. Saliba was one at the start of the season, we wouldn’t have been talking about, but we are now."
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