William Saliba has been really good playing in the middle of Arsenal's defence this season. But when it comes to playing for France, he's only been in the starting lineup for three out of the last 19 games.
Saliba got the chance to start alongside Konate in France's 3-2 win against Chile in Marseille on Tuesday. He made a great tackle near the end of the game to stop Ben Brereton Diaz from scoring. But Didier Deschamps wasn't pleased with how France defended overall.
Moreover, the French coach has already hinted that he has his preferred defensive pairing for Euro 2024 - Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano.
Quoted by Metro, Deschamps said: "It will take shape for the Euros but you never know what can happen. Unfortunately, we’ve had problems with one or another so yes, hopefully everyone is fit. I’m not going to change from one match to the next."
It is not clear why Deschamps chose Konate or Upamecano over Saliba. Arsenal stats prove that Saliba is one of the best defenders in the Premier League right now and obviously deserves a start in the national team.
There is a positive moment in this story, though - Saliba will have fewer chances to get injured and that's great news for Arsenal.
