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Arsenal has been hit with a significant setback as William Saliba is expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks, according to reports from France. The central defender was forced to leave the pitch just minutes into Arsenal's game against Liverpool due to an ankle injury.
Saliba had to withdraw from international duty with the French national team after limping off the field. The 24-year-old could now miss up to a month of action as Arsenal looks to bounce back and prepare for the start of the Champions League following the international break.
Earlier this week, the French national team released a statement saying: "William Saliba, who started for Arsenal against Liverpool on Sunday, was forced off in the fifth minute. He will not be able to honor his call-up for the first training camp of the season.
"He is suffering from a sprained left ankle. After a discussion with Franck Le Gall, the French team doctor, Didier Deschamps confirmed the unavailability of William Saliba. The national coach has decided to call up Benjamin Pavard as a reinforcement."
Saliba is expected to miss games against Nottingham Forest, Athletic Bilbao, Manchester City and a Carabao Cup tie against Port Vale. If his recovery takes longer than expected, he could also miss fixtures against Newcastle, Olympiacos and West Ham United.
Summer recruit Cristhian Mosquera, 21, stepped in to replace Saliba during the Liverpool game. The Spanish player was signed from Valencia for a modest $18 million.
Mikel Arteta bolstered his defensive line-up on transfer deadline day with the addition of Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen. The 23-year-old has joined the north London team on loan, with an option to make the move permanent next summer.
Arteta expressed relief at having Mosquera available after Saliba sustained an injury during the warm up for the match at Anfield. Despite initially believing he could play through the pain, Saliba was unable to continue.
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"He came in and he said he believed that he could carry on and play but straightaway in the first two actions I could see that he couldn't cope and we had to get him out, unfortunately," Arteta explained.
"But thank God we have Mosquera, which we put in for the first time in the Premier League, his debut[sic: Mosquera also came off the bench vs Leeds], not expecting it at Anfield and I think he was really, really good."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Mirror by clicking here.
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