Arsenal injury news: Charles Watts on William Saliba ankle issue and Cristhian Mosquera Liverpool performance

Arsenal centre-back William Saliba likely underwent a scan on his ankle injury on Monday, and the Gunners are now anxiously awaiting the results, expert Charles Watts has suggested.

Arsenal were forced into their earliest Premier League substitution since November 2012 in Sunday's 1-0 loss to Liverpool, where Saliba succumbed to an ankle sprain that he initially sustained in the warm-up before trying to play through.

Saliba was able to limp through the mixed zone without the need for crutches and gave a thumbs-up to a journalist who asked about his condition, although he did withdraw from the France squad for their September World Cup qualifiers, and there has been no further information on his injury.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Watts expressed his belief that Saliba underwent tests at the start of the week and bemoaned the injury deja vu at the Emirates, where Saliba has been one of several early-season injury concerns.

Asked if there was hope that the 24-year-old's issue was not too severe, Watts replied: "Definitely hope. Arsenal could really do without another injury! The collective groan around the world of Arsenal fans could be heard far and wide when the camera shot to William Saliba sitting on the floor.

“He obviously wanted to give it a go, but you would absolutely hope that this isn't going to be anything too serious. Arsenal will be doing a scan on him; I'm sure he had the scan yesterday [Monday] and we're just waiting for the results.

Saliba injury: "One after the other" for Arsenal

“This season has just followed on from what we saw last season. Injuries-wise, we were really hoping last year was a bit of an outlier. But if the start to this season is anything to go by, it's clearly not. [Kai] Havertz, [Bukayo] Saka - we've not even seen [Christian] Norgaard yet in the Premier League - [Martin] Odegaard, [Gabriel] Jesus, Ben White's barely featured. It's just one after the other."

Saliba's injury has come at an incredibly inopportune time, as Arsenal face a daunting run of matches following the international break, firstly welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on September 13 before opening their Champions League campaign away to Athletic Bilbao.

The Gunners then square up to Manchester City on September 21 and Newcastle United on September 28 - either side of an EFL Cup clash with Port Vale - but Arteta's Saliba fears have been eased by the emergence of Cristhian Mosquera.

The summer signing seamlessly slotted into the Arsenal backline alongside Gabriel Magalhaes against Liverpool, despite being unexpectedly thrown into the Anfield cauldron, as he made four tackles, three clearances and two blocks while completing 92% of his passes.

“The good thing is Mosquera was fantastic," Watts added. "It’s one thing to come on with 20 minutes to go when you've been warming up, But when you're thrown on at Anfield, you haven't really prepared to start and you’re basically starting the game, he played really, really well.

“That bodes well for Arsenal's season. He looks strong. After a couple of nervy moments early on, he settled into that game and looked fantastic. So that's the positive.

Mosquera looks an "absolute bargain" for Arsenal after Saliba injury

“And what we've seen from him, not just at Anfield but in pre-season, he looks like a top quality defender. He's got so much experience as well. Although he's young, it's not like he's not been playing. He played in La Liga for a good few years, barely missed a game.

“He played on the front foot, was aggressive, tracked his man. I was really impressed by him. There have been loads of good deals done by Arsenal this summer, but you look at sheer value for money, he looks like an absolute bargain. And what we've seen on the pitch backs that up.”

Mosquera is not the only Saliba alternative in Arsenal's ranks, as Ben White is likely to return from his knock following the international break, while new signing Piero Hincapie is versatile and could be trialled in a right centre-back role.

As a result, Watts is not overly concerned about the prospect of losing Saliba for any length of time, adding: "The one area where Arsenal have got unbelievable strength in depth is in defence.

"There are other options. If Ben White was fit, you could play him centre back or Timber centre back, but Mosquera has come in to be Saliba's cover."

Mosquera was also name-checked by an Arsenal legend in a recent Premier League title question, and the Spaniard is on course to start the visit of Forest in two weeks' time.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Saliba's recent injury blow