William Saliba

Saliba resumed regular training sessions Saturday alongside the rest of the French national team prior to the initial World Cup contest versus Senegal, per Fabrice Hawkins.

Analysis: Saliba is no longer dealing with discomfort and is trending toward a starting role throughout the international competition. The center-back recorded 45 minutes in the last friendly game against Norther Ireland and was subbed off as a precaution, avoiding a new injury scare following his return from a back injury. His inclusion as Dayot Upamecano's partner in the middle of a back four would leave Ibrahima Konate and Maxence Lacroix as depth options. As for his fantasy potential, Saliba will aim to improve on his World Cup qualifying averages of 4.3 clearances and 4.7 balls recovered per match while holding decent clean sheet chances, even though he'll be facing strong opposition in at least two of the three group stage games against Senegal and Norway, respectively.

Jun 8, 2026

Plays 45, taken off as precaution

Saliba (back) started and played 45 minutes in Monday's friendly against Northern Ireland before being taken off at halftime as a precaution.

Analysis: Saliba was back on the pitch Monday as France played in a friendly, starting and playing 45 minutes before a halftime exit. The defender would be taken off due to precaution following his injury, a pre-planned substitution ahead of the contest. This should clear the defender of his injury after some worries ahead of their World Cup opener, a major return for the French team. He should then start moving forward in the group stage alongside Dayot Upamecano, unlikely to be risked much between now and their opener against Senegal on June 16.

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William Saliba

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