Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal will be without William Saliba this weekend against Newcastle, but the Gunners boss is refusing to rule out a playing return before the end of the season. The Frenchman has been absent from the team since March 16 when he was substituted off with a back injury in the early stages of the Europa League clash with Sporting CP.
The Gunners have played seven games without Saliba and the absence of his composure and dominance in the back line has been sorely missed. With another couple of days having passed since Arsenal's last clash, Arteta provided the latest on his ongoing recovery
"Not a lot of progress," Arteta said when asked for an update on Saliba. "He’s feeling better every day but he’s not been able still to have any activity around the first team so we don’t expect him to be with us."
