FRANCE boss Didier Deschamps appears to have taken a cheeky dig at Arsenal while discussing an issue with William Saliba.
The French defender, 22, has finally become a key man at the Gunners under Mikel Arteta after his initial struggles.
He arrived at the Emirates in a £27m move from Saint-Etienne in 2019 but was instantly loaned back to his former club.
He then spent the following two years back in his homeland with further loan stints at Nice and Marseille before Arteta made him a first-team regular last term.
Saliba’s displays helped Arsenal mount their impressive title challenge, which ultimately ended unsuccessfully, to Manchester City and he has continued to shine this campaign.
And his performances have also been rewarded on the international stage, winning ten caps for France so far having made his debut in 2022 and going to the Qatar World Cup.
READ MORE ON ARSENAL
But, despite Raphael Varane’s retirement from Les Bleus, Saliba is struggling to become a regular in his country’s starting XI.
He has been selected for France’s upcoming matches with Gibraltar and Greece, but ahead of them, Deschamps explained that the star does not face the same level of competition for a place at Arsenal as he does for his country.
He said: “He hasn’t had a lot of game time with us.
“He is performing well for his club. At international level, he hasn’t always found himself in the best conditions in matches where I’ve rotated a lot.”
Most read in Football
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
Deschamps then added: “He isn’t in the same psychological situation with his club, where he doesn’t ask himself if he’ll play at the weekend.
“When he has game time with us, he tells himself he needs to play well because there are others behind him.
“He is not in a psychological situation that is the same as at his club. He has everything he needs to take the next step.”
Saliba will be battling with the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, Jean Clair-Todibo, Benjamin Pavard and Ibrahima Konate for a start on Saturday when his nation take on Gibraltar.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
