Some nights in football just keep getting worse.
Arsenal lost the Champions League final on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.
Another step short of the biggest prize in club football.
Yet, things would only get worse from here.
William Saliba might not make the World Cup.
William Saliba faces World Cup heartbreak after injury
According to the Mirror, Saliba entered the Champions League final in Budapest carrying a minor injury that had been quietly managed behind the scenes for some time.
He played the full 120 minutes regardless.
With France’s World Cup opener against Senegal scheduled for June 16, and the World Cup final set for July 19, the timeline is deeply concerning.
Saliba will miss France’s warm-up friendlies against Ivory Coast and Northern Ireland entirely.
Thus, his involvement in the tournament itself is now in real doubt.
Losing their most reliable centre-back before a ball has been kicked in anger at the tournament is not a scenario Deschamps had planned for.
Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace has already been called up as cover.
A first France call-up for the 25-year-old, who will now likely feature in the friendlies in Saliba’s absence.
Ibrahima Konata, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Hernandez and Jules Kounde are also available options.
But the blunt reality is that none of them are Saliba right now.
His form this season has been extraordinary.
For a player who was an unused substitute when France lost the 2022 World Cup final to Argentina, an experience he has spoken about as one that still burns deeply, missing this tournament would represent a devastating personal blow.
He wanted revenge.
Instead, he faces weeks on the sidelines waiting for a body that gave everything in Budapest to recover in time.
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