William Saliba left out of Arsenal squad for alternative appearance this weekend

Saliba will play for Arsenal's Under-21s on Sunday as part of his recovery plan from a back injury sustained at the World Cup, with a full return expected after the international break on November 21.

William Saliba has not featured for Arsenal since suffering a back injury while on international duty with France at the World Cup. The 25-year-old centre-back was named on the bench for Wednesday's Champions League win at Slavia Prague but was left out of the squad for Saturday's home match against Hull.

Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed the omission was not due to any setback but rather a planned approach to restore Saliba to full fitness. Saliba will take the next step in his recovery by playing for Arsenal's Under-21s when they host Aston Villa on Sunday. Arteta explained: "He needs some minutes. 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."

With the international break approaching, Saliba will not return to competitive action until November 21. The France international was also omitted from Zinedine Zidane's squad for Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey. His return will provide a significant boost to Arsenal's defence, though he may face competition for his place after Ezri Konsa impressed following his £55 million summer arrival from Aston Villa.