By Josh O'Brien
Didier Deschamps' recent remarks on Arsenal star William Saliba suggest the centre-back is not in the France manager's plans as a starter ahead of Euro 2024.
Since his competitve debut for the Gunners in 2022, three years after he actually joined, Saliba has established himself as one of the best young defenders on the continent. His partnership with Arsenal's Gabriel has become the strongest central defensive partnership in the Premier League, with Mikel Arteta's side conceding just 24 goals this term.
Saliba is a huge part of why the north Londoners currently sit top of the table with 10 games to go, as well as reaching the last eight of the Champions League, where a two-legged tie against Bayern Munich awaits next month. The 23-year-old's injury last season is viewed by many as what cost Arsenal the title.
With all that being said, it appears that Deschamps isn't quite as keen on the defender. For all of his Arsenal heroics, Saliba is yet to enjoy a run of stellar displays for his national team and the manager remains unsure on the ex-Saint-Etienne star.
Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate and Benjamin Pavard have all been deployed ahead of Saliba in recent weeks, with the Arsenal ace starting just two of France's last 18 fixtures. He failed to even make it off of the bench during the 2-0 defeat by Germany on Saturday night.
With Euro 2024 creeping closer, the clock is ticking on Saliba's chance to stake his claim for a place in the squad for the major tournament. Deschamps has made no secret of the fact he still harbours some concerns over aspects of Saliba's playing style.
"He is having a good season, but he also does things that I don't like so much," Deschamps told reporters on Monday. "For France, he has limited game time, but when he plays, that hasn't necessarily gone well.
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"The hierarchy doesn't favour him at the moment, but he is here. Dayot Upamecano has had game time and perhaps William has had less. With certain players, I make sure to persevere, because it can be confidence or little blockages that can shift.
"Some don't have any concerns, some need game time. William has had less game time, so that doesn't allow him to be very calm."
The comments will come as a shock to the Arsenal faithful that adore Saliba. One of the main attributes that makes the Frenchman stand out at the Emirates is his remarkable composure on the ball.
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