Didier Deschamps has delivered a ruthless assessment of why William Saliba doesn't play for France.
Saliba is one of Mikel Arteta's most important players as Arsenal mount a charge for the Premier League title this season.
The 23-year-old has starred for Arsenal since returning to the club following a successful loan spell at Marseille, where he went head-to-head with Kylian Mbappe.
He's played 38 games across all competitions this season, including 28 league matches.
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His injury last season proved crucial as the Gunners tailed off in the title race, eventually finishing behind Manchester City.
Despite his importance for Arsenal, Saliba isn't favoured by Deschamps.
He has featured just 12 times for France since making his debut in 2022, which includes a measly six starts.
At a press conference on Monday ahead of France's friendly match against Chile, the manager explained why he doesn't play Saliba.
The 55-year-old claimed the star defender does things that he doesn't like and was critical of his international showings.
"He is having a good season, but he also does things that I don’t like so much," he said.
"For France, he has limited game time, but when he plays, that hasn’t necessarily gone well. The hierarchy doesn’t favour him at the moment, but he is here."
Deschamps added: "Dayot Upamecano has had game time and perhaps William has had less. With certain players, I make sure to persevere, because it can be confidence or little blockages that can shift. Some don’t have any concerns, some need game time. William has had less game time, so that doesn’t allow him to be very calm."
Deschamps opted for Benjamin Pavard and Dayot Upamecano at the back as France suffered a 2-0 defeat to Germany last weekend.
Saliba was an unused substitute, but he could be called upon for their game against Chile on Tuesday.
Topics: William Saliba, Arsenal, France, Didier Deschamps, Football
Nasir Jabbar