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William Saliba's fitness has given France fans cause for concern ahead of their World Cup 2026 opener against Senegal.
The Arsenal defender suffered a back injury towards the end of the domestic season and had a scan earlier this month to find out the severity of the problem.
There were even fears that Saliba could miss the World Cup in what would have been a major blow for France manager Didier Deschamps, who has put faith in the 25-year-old as his first-choice centre back.
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William Saliba fitness status revealed ahead of France vs Senegal
Saliba missed Les Bleus' 2-1 friendly defeat by Ivory Coast on Thursday, June 4, owing to his involvement in the Champions League final five days earlier, before playing the first half of the 3-1 win over Northern Ireland in France's last warm-up match four days later.
The squad then flew out to North America ahead of their Group I opener against Senegal in New Jersey and Deschamps revealed Saliba remains a major part of his plans.
"William is fine and will be managed," Deschamps told ESPN ahead of the clash with Ivory Coast.
Saliba partnered Dayot Upamecano at centre back against Northern Ireland but Deschamps revealed several factors would go into his starting XI for the World Cup opener.
He said: "They all want to be in the starting lineup. We'll be mindful of the frustration that this can create. Also, because of the specific situation in the United States, the gap between each match, we'll learn other things."
Saliba, ranked at no.2 in FourFourTwo's list of the best centre-backs in the world right now, has started every France match in which he has featured since June 2024, suggesting that he will get the nod against Senegal.
The defender has already racked up 54 games for club and country this season and played a key role in Arsenal's Premier League title triumph and run to the Champions League final, where they lost to Paris Saint-Germain.
He played all 120 minutes of that final in Budapest on May 30, despite his back issue, and joined up with the national team the following week.
France have a six-day gap between their first and second Group I matches, with a game against Iraq in Philadelphia next up on Monday.
They finish the group stages against Norway in Boston on Friday, May 26.
