What William Saliba said before being subbed off early for France - and it's worrying for Arsenal

France's World Cup dream came to a painful end on Tuesday night, but Arsenal supporters may have been left even more concerned by what happened long before the final whistle.

Gunners centre-back William Saliba was forced off before half-time during Les Bleus' 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain after suffering what appeared to be a recurrence of the back problem that has troubled him throughout the tournament.

And television cameras appeared to capture exactly what the defender told his teammates as he realised he could not continue.

Arsenal star William Saliba was substituted with injury during France vs Spain

Saliba went down in the 29th minute after an innocuous passage of play, immediately signalling to the France bench before sitting on the turf awaiting treatment.

As he stopped playing, respected French football journalist Julien Laurens reported that Saliba could be seen saying: "My back is gone, my back is gone."

The Arsenal star was unable to continue and was replaced by Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix, walking gingerly from the pitch alongside two members of France's medical staff.

The setback comes after Saliba admitted earlier in the 2026 World Cup that he had been 'gritting his teeth' through several months of back niggles following the Gunners' strenuous Premier League and Champions League campaign.

He had already missed France's final group game against Norway to manage the issue before returning for the knockout rounds.

A big blow to Arsenal and Mikel Arteta

While France will now focus on assessing the severity of the injury, Arsenal will be watching developments even more closely.

Saliba is arguably Mikel Arteta's most irreplaceable defender, forming one of Europe's best centre-back partnerships alongside Gabriel, so losing him for any significant period ahead of the new Premier League season would be a major setback.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect is not Tuesday's injury itself, but the pattern that has emerged over recent weeks. Saliba openly admitted he has been managing the problem for months, and now it appears to have flared up again on the biggest stage.

With Arsenal's title defence beginning in just over a month, Arteta will surely hope this is nothing more than an aggravation rather than a serious setback.

After a gruelling campaign of more than 50 appearances, Saliba looks like a player in desperate need of a proper period of rest before the demands of another long season begin.