LONDON (AP) — Arsenal center back William Saliba will avoid back surgery but faces an "extended period” in rehabilitation, the defending Premier League champions said Wednesday.
The 25-year-old France international was substituted out of his national team's 2-0 semifinal loss to France at the World Cup in the first half.
Arsenal confirmed in a medical update that Saliba sustained a back injury.
“Extensive assessments have concluded that surgery is not recommended, but William should now commence a managed recovery program,” Arsenal said in a statement.
“William’s rehabilitation will commence immediately, with continual management of his injury, and he is expected to be out of action for an extended period.”
Mikel Arteta's team begins its title defense on Aug. 21 against newly promoted Coventry.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Players check on France's William Saliba (17) after he got injured during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
France's William Saliba (17) walks off the field after being injured during the World Cup semifinal soccer match against Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
France's William Saliba (17) is led off the pitch after being injured during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The WNBA is going with a shooting stars competition instead of its skills challenge, pairing one former great with a current player in the league on Friday night as part of All-Star weekend.
Seattle will be represented by Lauren Jackson and Flau’jae Johnson. Washington will have Elena Delle Donne partnered with Shakira Austin. Dallas, which started out as a franchise in Detroit, will pair Jessica Shepard with Deanna Nolan. Minnesota will have Rebekkah Brunson playing with Courtney Williams.
Each team will also include a standout high school player from Nike EYBL, bringing together three generations of women’s basketball in one competition.
The Nike EYBL participants are Jezelle “GG” Banks, Ryan Carter, Tatianna Griffin and Morghan Reckley. Honorary general managers for the WNBA All-Star Game, Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon, will serve as designated passers, with Cooper distributing the ball to two teams and Weatherspoon passing it to the other two teams.
The format is a two-round, timed shooting competition in which teams have 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court. The competition features shots ranging from a layup to a 3-pointer, with the two teams posting the highest scores in the opening round advancing to the championship round.
The shooting stars winners will get $15,000. Each competitor will receive $7,500.
Last year the winners of the skills contest each received $2,575 from the WNBA.
The league announced the participants of the 3-point contest on Tuesday.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Washington Mystics' Shakira Austin (0) shoots on Toronto Tempo's Isabelle Harrison (21) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
