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France coach Didier Deschamps has given an explanation on why William Saliba has been included in his World Cup squad.
THE LOWDOWN: BIG YEAR
It has been an extraordinary year for Saliba. His loan spell at Marseille finished with him being named young player of the year as well as a call-up to the French National team for the first time.
After his exploits in France, Saliba returned to Arsenal for the first time since his signature in 2019 and started flourishing from the very onset. He excelled in preseason and Arteta handed him his debut in the season opener against Crystal Palace.
Since then, the youngster has not looked back and has gone from strength to strength. He has multiple man-of-the-match awards this season and has capped his brilliant year up with a place in France’s team to the World Cup.
THE LATEST: MANAGER’S EXPLANATION
Didier Deschamps has been impressed with how William Saliba responded to an uncertain future at Arsenal. The 21-year-old returned to the Emirates Stadium in the summer from a successful season-long loan at Marseille.
Speaking to The Athletic as per Football.London, Deschamps seemed proud to see Saliba begin to fulfil his potential despite the odds being once against him.
“He went back to Arsenal without having many certainties but has done what is needed to be a starter for them,” the France national team boss said.
However, Saliba is far from the finished article and Deschamps is aware of the wonderkid’s inexperience after he took him off at halftime in France’s defeat to Denmark in the UEFA Nations League last September.
Deschamps explained his decision to do so.
“I don’t think it’s a shipwreck, we also had a lot of chances but we were ineffective, we made some errors when playing out from the back,” he said. “It’s a young French side, where the majority of the players don’t have experience at the very highest level.
“It’s not a question of formations, but when you have four corners and a Danish player is left alone each time, you can play with three, five or twelve at the back, it doesn’t change a thing.
“There’s no need to worry, the fact that the players with international experience are coming back will do us good. Cama was not in the best mood, it can happen. He has not been with us for a long time and he’s starting the match already.
“He was not the only one either. It will serve him well for the future just as it will serve others. Obviously, we have young, quality players who are learning but the important thing is to recover all our vital, experienced players for two months’ time.”
THE VERDICT: WELL DESERVED
His call up to the Mundial is well-deserved and quite expected. What remains to be seen is if he will get to play in Qatar or not. Saliba must have learned a few things in his last outing with the national team and should be ready for the challenge if called upon.
