DESHIY 🎥

Mikel Arteta's full words on William Saliba's return following a long-term injury: "Yes, he's in a really good place. I think the process and the timings and in the manner that the injury has been dealt with, and especially the feelings that Willy has been having along the way, they've been very, very positive. So his evolution has been as expected, which is not always the case. He feels very comfortable. He played 45 minutes in closed doors last week. And he feels ready to go. So whether we use him or not now is a matter of what the team needs." Then asked: "Just on William Saliba, how is he feeling in himself? Is he kind of really desperate to get back and play now because it's been so long for him?" "I think he feels very desperate and very loved because Willy is somebody that is very admired and very liked around the team. And every time he's around, he creates something special. That's Willy, that's his nature. He's around the team now and yeah, now we need to give him the right moment, the right amount of minutes and Hopefully that's going to be very soon." Then asked: "But from your point of view, you're obviously trying to be cautious with him because you're, it's a slow process for him, it's a very delicate injury, isn't it, he's recovering from?" "Yes, but now you are in or not, and now he's in, and he's in like anybody else. All the preparation has been done to measure all the loads and all the steps that he had to do to minimise that risk. Now he's in a really good place. He's built the capacity that we needed, and now it's about giving him minutes, and he's a centre-back. And when that's the case, it's not like an attacking midfielder or a 9 that you can change. A centre-back normally has to be able to play 90 minutes, and that's why all the preparation that we've done to build him." Then asked: "With William Saliba, at one stage there was talk that he might require surgery. You've managed to get around that and not have surgery. What's been the process with that and how have you kind of been able to go around without requiring that? Because it's quite an extensive process, surgery." "That's more for a specialist than to me, but they looked at every option. They got some of the best leading people in the world with the injury that he had, and at the end they decided that the conservative way was the best route for him, especially with the history that will he have. And then, yeah, everything has been assessed every week, every month with all of them, and their progress has been so good to get to the point where he's now fit and available to play." Then asked: "Your relationship with him has obviously changed over the years. At first, it might have been a bit different, to say the least, and obviously now it's in a different stage. He's more mature. With his injury layoff, what's it, what's he been like behind the scenes, and how have you kind of kept him around and kept him in with everything?" "I think we always had a really honest relationship, I would say. Probably better now because he's played a lot, we've been together and had success together, and obviously that creates a bond between 2 people. And while he's been away, yeah, I think we made sure that he has some time off as well. It's been an extremely demanding schedule for him in the last few years. "Then he put an incredible effort and amount of hours to get back. That's how Will is. He does it in silence, he does his own thing, and every time he's in and around the team, he helps to maintain and improve the energy of the team." Then asked: "I know Saliba's reintegration is going to be a process, but the million-dollar question is how do you fit him, Ezri, and Gabriel in the same team? Obviously Gabriel and Konsa are playing so well, but Is Ezri someone you feel can play at fullback? Is that maybe a way of juggling all of that problem." "It's a nice problem. So far we haven't had that luxury. I wouldn't call it a problem. I think we can talk about problems that are very different to that one. So the moment that they are fit and available, we're going to have opportunities as well to give players or to load the players and to manage the congestion of the players in a much better way than that we actually done it. And Ezri [Konsa], he can play as a fullback. I think his main position is as a centre-back. He can play right and left. Willy's done the same with the national team or here at Arsenal."