Ezri Konsa has performed so well for Arsenal since arriving in the summer from Aston Villa that Gunners supporters would be forgiven for forgetting they have the best defender in world football on their books, and he hasn't played a minute this season.
William Saliba continues to fight back from his summer setback, and the news is that he's now close to featuring on the pitch once again. The Frenchman returned to grass training last week , undergoing individual sessions with a couple of members of the coaching staff at Sohba Realty.
He hasn't played since France's World Cup semi-final against Spain in July, when he went down clutching his back early on. Surgery was avoided , but a lengthy rehabilitation process has ensued.
Arsenal have dealt without the imperious centre-back, winning nine of their opening ten matches across all competitions, with Konsa playing a starring role.
However, the Gunners could be about to go up another level with the return of their defensive stalwart.
Arteta is understandably being quizzed on Saliba's recovery in every single press conference, and Friday's pre-Nottingham Forest presser was no different. Speaking to the media, the Spaniard provided a positive update on the 25-year-old's physical condition.
"It's been over a week, I think [he's been on the grass]," he said.
"Obviously, we're managing that load. He's building his capacity to good standards, and let's see in the next few weeks... We're still talking about weeks, and when that happens, it's very different whether he would play just before or just after [the next international break]... I cannot tell you exactly."
Arteta essentially suggested that Saliba has a somewhat promising chance of being back in the fold before the next international break, which commences after Arsenal's game against Hull City on Saturday 7th November.
From that we can deduce his likely availability for each of Arsenal's upcoming fixtures:
Nottingham Forest (H)- 18th Oct - Definitely unavailable.
Bayern Munich (A)- 24th Oct - Definitely unavailable.
Everton (H)- 24th Oct - Definitely unavailable.
Fleetwood (A)- 27th Oct - Definitely unavailable.
Liverpool (A)- 1st Nov - Extremely slim chance of making the bench.
Slavia Prague (A)- 4th Nov - Quite slim chance of making the bench.
Hull (H)- 7th Nov - Credible chance of making the bench and playing some minutes.
Newcastle (A)- 21st Nov - Pretty good chance of being involved.
Dortmund (H)- 24th Nov - Very good chance of being involved and possibly starting.
Manchester City (H)- 29th Nov - Would be a shock if he's not back playing at this point.
Brentford (A)- 2nd Dec - If he's somehow not available by this point, something has gone very wrong in his recovery.
Looking at how these fixtures pan out, Arteta and his medical staff should be cautious about re-integrating Saliba before the international break. There's no need to rush him back in when you have Konsa and Cristhian Mosquera at your disposal, and the fixtures before this point are very manageable.
After the international break, however, things go up a notch. St James' Park, Dortmund and City at the Emirates, followed by Brentford away, is an incredibly tricky run of fixtures. The aim should be to have Saliba ready to play a meaningful role in these matches, particularly with the North London Derby and Manchester United also to come in early to mid-December.
This article was originally published on www.paininthearsenal.com as The games William Saliba is still likely to be unavailable for after latest injury update .
