William Saliba Injury Report: Lower Back Problem and Return Timeline

There's much talk about Arsenal's defence being worse without Saliba, so here are some thoughts on the injury.

Arteta has said he has no update other than a two-week rest period to avoid worsening it.

During the World Cup semi-final he pulled up with no contact while jogging with the ball and reached for his lower back.

My guess is a lumbar disc problem. Two likely diagnoses:

A disc herniation, causing severe lower back pain and, in worse cases, radiating leg pain with weakened lower extremity strength.

Or an annular tear in the disc's outer ring, which hurts most under load such as twisting, bending, acceleration or deceleration.

Both carry timeframes of roughly 3-5 months, depending on severity.

Originally posted on X by @FPLPhysioo on 9 August 2026.