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Despite claiming he would have been content with any outcome, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will surely have been thrilled that center back William Saliba was left out of Zinédine Zidane's latest France squad.
Saliba has been sidelined since the World Cup, where a back problem he had been managing for some time eventually required a prolonged absence. The standout defender returned to the bench for Arsenal's 2–1 victory over Slavia Prague in midweek but was not called upon.
Prior to Zidane unveiling his latest squad, Arteta confirmed he had been in "very close contact" with French officials regarding Saliba, stating they had "all the information" before making their final call.
When asked whether he would prefer Saliba to stay away from France duty, Arteta emphasized: "I think it's something between them more, because William needs minutes as well, I know how much he loves to be around the national team. [Zidane]'s a new manager, a really exciting one as well, so whatever he's decided is fine for us."
While Saliba may feel a degree of disappointment at being absent from the French camp, there is little question that Arteta will have been overjoyed to see the defender's name missing from November's squad list.
Arsenal Have the Chance to Ease Saliba Back Into Action
Arsenal spent a significant portion of last season helping Saliba manage his back complaint and will be enormously relieved that he is feeling well enough to have even considered featuring for France this month.
Saliba may be eager to jump straight back into action, but that will be the furthest thing from Arteta's mind. After such a lengthy spell out, the Frenchman could easily aggravate his injury or pick up another minor setback due to a lack of match sharpness, meaning his comeback must be handled just as carefully as his injury was last season.
He could well earn some minutes on Saturday against Hull City, but Saliba will then benefit from an additional two weeks of recovery beyond that fixture as Arteta and the Arsenal coaching staff focus on building the Frenchman back up to full fitness without any external pressure.
The availability of Ezri Konsa within the Arsenal ranks means Arteta can afford to be patient with Saliba. The Englishman has fitted in effortlessly alongside Gabriel at the heart of the Gunners' defence and has helped the side concede a league-low five goals across their first nine matches.
Konsa has been so outstanding, in fact, that Arteta may find it difficult to make a change. Few would dispute Saliba's right to return, yet it is equally hard to argue that Konsa should lose his place, presenting Arteta with the most welcome of selection dilemmas heading into the international break.