Arsenal have another fitness problem to monitor, and this one matters because it involves a young player who has started to push his way into Mikel Arteta’s first-team thinking. Marli Salmon has withdrawn from the England Under-18 squad through injury, adding to a growing list of concerns around availability at the club.
The 17-year-old had been selected for upcoming matches against Italy, France and Germany, but will now miss out. Chelsea youngster Gabriel Sambou has been drafted in as his replacement. For now, there is no clear detail on the nature of Salmon’s issue or how long he could be out.
That uncertainty is the problem. Arsenal have already seen Declan Rice pull out of the senior England setup, with his absence understood to be linked to load management. Piero Hincapie has also not joined Ecuador because of fitness trouble. Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and William Saliba are already dealing with injury issues of their own.
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Marli Salmon setback adds to Arsenal injury concerns
Salmon’s withdrawal is frustrating because he had built some momentum. He completed 90 minutes in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup win over Ipswich last week, which remains his only senior appearance of the new season, and he has also featured regularly in Premier League 2. For a player of his age, that is solid progress.
Arsenal do not need panic, they need clarity. Arteta will want as many players fit as possible before difficult fixtures against Leeds and Bayern Munich. Squad depth helps, but accumulation of absentees always catches up with you sooner or later.
Mikel Arteta backing Arsenal youngsters
Arteta has already made clear what he thinks of the club’s emerging talent after Salmon, Max Dowman, Theo Julienne and Ife Ibrahim all caught the eye against Ipswich. He said, “A joy to have (Dowman), Marli as well, a 16-year-old, to play at the level with the physicality they have and to be able to handle that level, it’s remarkable,” he said.
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