Arsenal to assess William Saliba's back injury with surgery an option

Arsenal will assess William Saliba's back injury when he reports back to the club after World Cup duty.

The France centre-back has been dogged by a back issue for several weeks and carried the problem into the World Cup.

The issue appeared to be exacerbated during France's semi-final loss to Spain when he was forced off after just 30 minutes.

Surgery is among the options that will be considered by the Gunners when he returns to London, though an operation would probably require a long-term lay-off to recover.

The 25-year-old made 50 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal last season, as they ended a 22-year wait to win the Premier League and reached the Champions League final.

Earlier in the World Cup, Saliba said: "I've had some minor niggles for several months.

"I've been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League.

"The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you've got to grit your teeth."

He missed France's final group game against Norway before returning to Didier Deschamps' side for the knockout stage.

France play England in the third-place play-off on Saturday (22:00 BST).