Saliba suffers early ankle injury as Arsenal lose at Liverpool

Arsenal suffered another injury setback on Sunday when centreback William Saliba was forced off after less than five minutes of the club's Premier League trip to Liverpool at Anfield. The France international, who had been cleared to start despite a pre-match knock, hobbled off early and was replaced by summer signing Cristhian Mosquera as Arsenal went on to lose 1-0.

Manager Mikel Arteta said Saliba twisted his ankle during the warmup but believed he could play. Arteta added that Saliba tried to continue but faltered in his first two actions and "we had to get him out, unfortunately." The defender went down after an aerial challenge with Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike and took treatment before walking down the tunnel. He was able to sit on the bench in the second half.

Commentary and medical observers offered slightly different reads of the incident. Former striker Dion Dublin, analysing for BBC Radio 5 Live, said Saliba collapsed immediately after heading the ball and showed no pre-existing limp, describing how Saliba "kept his left leg straight and his right leg bent." The French national team subsequently announced Saliba had been withdrawn from their upcoming squad with a left...