Why William Saliba is not in Arsenal squad against Hull despite injury return

Saliba excluded from Hull squad as part of planned recovery; will play for Under-21s on Sunday before international break.

William Saliba has not featured for Arsenal this season due to a serious back injury sustained after July's World Cup semi-finals. The centre-back has made good progress in his recovery, recently playing 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly. He was named in Arsenal's Champions League squad against Slavia Prague on Wednesday but did not come off the bench. For Saturday's Premier League match against Hull, Saliba was not included in the matchday squad. Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed this was not due to any setback but rather part of a planned approach to get him fully fit. Arteta stated: "Obviously, the Champions League allows you to bring more players into the bench, but we believe that it's the best thing to do, to play some minutes on the weekend with the Under-21s and then be fully fit for the international break." Saliba is expected to play for Arsenal's Under-21s against Aston Villa on Sunday. France manager Zinedine Zidane opted not to call him up for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, allowing him to remain with Arsenal during the international break.