Arsenal's Marli Salmon Pulls Out of England Under-18 Squad

The 17-year-old defender withdrew from England Under-18 duty through injury, with no timeline yet given for his return.

Arsenal youngster Marli Salmon has withdrawn from the England Under-18 squad because of an injury. The 17-year-old had been named for fixtures against Italy, France and Germany, but Chelsea's Gabriel Sambou has been called up in his place.

Neither the nature of the problem nor a possible recovery timeline has been disclosed. Salmon had been making steady progress this season, playing the full 90 minutes in Arsenal's Carabao Cup victory over Ipswich — his only senior appearance so far — while also turning out regularly in Premier League 2.

His absence adds to a lengthening list of fitness concerns at the club. Declan Rice has pulled out of the senior England squad in what is understood to be a load-management decision, while Piero Hincapie did not link up with Ecuador. Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and William Saliba are also managing injury issues.

Manager Mikel Arteta has spoken warmly of the club's young players, praising Salmon and Max Dowman after the Ipswich match for handling the physical demands of senior football at their age. Arsenal face upcoming fixtures against Leeds and Bayern Munich.