William Saliba has won 10 caps for France under Didier Deschamps (Picture: Getty Images)
France boss Didier Deschamps believes William Saliba’s insecurity about his position in the national team means he has struggled to replicate his club form for his country.
The 22-year-old has been a regular in the Arsenal team since the start of last season and been very impressive at the heart of Mikel Arteta’s defence.
He has won 10 caps for his country under Deschamps, but faces plenty of competition for places at centre-back from the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Lucas Hernandez, Jules Kounde, Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano and Jean-Clair Todibo.
Deschamps, who has been in charge of France since 2012, believes his regular rotation and the intense competition for places means Saliba cannot feel as settled as he does at Arsenal and it can impact his international form.
However, the France coach has faith in the young defender, saying he has all the tools to go to the next level.
‘He hasn’t had a lot of game time with us. He is performing well for his club,” Deschamps told a press conference ahead of France playing Gibraltar and Greece during this international break.
Saliba has become an integral figure for Arsenal over the last 18 months (Picture: Getty Images)
‘At international level, he hasn’t always found himself in the best conditions in matches where I’ve rotated a lot. He isn’t in the same psychological situation with his club, where he doesn’t ask himself if he’ll play at the weekend.
‘When he has game time with us, he tells himself he needs to play well because there are others behind him. He is not in a psychological situation that is the same as at his club. He has everything he needs to take the next step.’
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‘He hasn’t always found himself in the best conditions.’