
- William Saliba stepped up his recovery from a back injury by playing 45 minutes for Arsenal under-21s in their 5-2 win over Aston Villa.
- The France defender had been sidelined since the World Cup and missed the senior side's 1-0 victory against Hull on Saturday.
- Under-21s head coach David Horseman praised Saliba's professionalism, confirming that his half-time substitution was fully pre-planned.
- Saliba is on course to rejoin Mikel Arteta's first-team squad for their trip to Newcastle following the international break.
- Max Dowman, Maalik Hashi, Evan Mooney and Andre Harriman-Annous were on the scoresheet in the victory.


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