William Saliba injury: Arsenal defender ruled out of Southampton trip on Premier League final day | OneFootball

The defender will miss “a few weeks” as the Gunners end their season on the south coast

William Saliba will join Jurrien Timber in missing Arsenal’s final Premier League game of the season against Southampton this weekend.

Timber, meanwhile, underwent ankle surgery earlier this week, and Arsenal are hopeful that the Dutchman will be fit to start pre-season.

The Gunners boss said on Wednesday: “William is going to be out for a few weeks, unfortunately. He pulled his hamstring against Newcastle, so he's going to be out for a few weeks.

The centre-back must now, however, be a doubt for France’s Nations League Finals campaign.

Didier Deschamps’s side meet Spain in their semi-final in Stuttgart on June 5, with the winner going on to face Germany or Portugal three days later.

With Gabriel having been sidelined since the start of April with a more serious hamstring injury, the Gunners will go to already-relegated Saints without the bulk of their first-choice defence.

Ben White is likely to continue at right-back, while Riccardo Calafiori is the obvious candidate to partner Jakub Kiwior, having impressed at centre-back when replacing Saliba against Newcastle.

Arsenal’s victory in that game has already secured Champions League football for next season, while second place is all but guaranteed, with only a defeat to Southampton and a remarkable goal-difference swing able to displace Arteta’s side.