Arsenal fans won't hate the post-World Cup William Saliba plan

Arsenal fans will be concerned amid news that one of their bona fide starters is set for surgery after the World Cup, putting the start of next season in doubt.

The Gunners stars are either now headed off for holidays or to link up with their respective nations for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the US. For Arsenal players, it's an extension of an already long season that culminated in a Premier League title and a near miss in the Champions League final.

But there is no time for grieving for the latter, with the World Cup demanding too much for players to carry any sort of mental weakness, even if physical weakness is almost inevitable given the tournament comes after the European club season. Though for one Gunner, there is more of a physical concern than for most.

William Saliba set for surgery

According to L'Equipe, Saliba has been playing through a back injury in recent weeks and months, determined to get through the end of the season with Arsenal. It's claimed the issue wasn't serious enough to put his World Cup campaign in doubt, but that it remains an issue.

Saliba is to be managed carefully by the French medical staff this summer, but he is fully available to represent his nation in North America. But it's claimed there is no way for the defender to avoid surgery to correct the injury.

While it is manageable for now, Saliba is set to undergo back surgery in a bid to correct the issue after the World Cup, which, at the latest, will end on July 19 for France. Naturally, if Les Bleus crash out of the competition at an earlier stage, Saliba will likely have the procedure at an earlier date.

But either way, it seems likely the start of the Premier League season, which is just one month after the World Cup final, will be in question for Saliba.

Arsenal fans should not hate the idea

While it will be disappointing to potentially be without Saliba for the start of the new season, and at the very least, he would miss out on a proper pre-season, it's better for Saliba to get the issue corrected properly rather than trying to manage it.

Back issues can linger in top-end sports, and Arsenal can deal with being without Saliba for a couple of weeks to kick off the new campaign. Whether it is Piero Hincapie - should he be signed permanently - Cristhian Mosquera or another, Arsenal have plenty of options to get them through at centre-back.

Ultimately, they would rather cope at the start of the season when every team is finding their feet than risk Saliba breaking down and losing him over Christmas at the back end of the campaign.

The only hope is that there is no worsening of the issue over the course of the World Cup, but you certainly can't blame a player for pushing through to represent his nation at the World Cup.

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