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The defender is set to miss again as Arsenal face Southampton.
William Saliba is not recovering as quickly as Mikel Arteta anticipated, the Arsenal manager has confirmed.
Saliba has been unavailable for the past month after he picked up an injury during a Europa League match against Sporting Lisbon, consequently missing four matches since then.
Arteta was hopeful the French defender could be in contention to step up his recovery this week.
"He’s not progressing as quickly as we hoped, and it is a bit delicate, so we want to be certain that when we push him, he’s ready to absorb the load and the risk that we’ll take, and that’s not possible at the moment," Arteta told reporters on Thursday.
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The former Gunners’ striker has also pointed out valuable a lesson they can learn from City.
"I don’t know, it’s a bit early to know. Probably next week we’ll have more certainty.
"There is some evolution, he’s doing more activity, but is not there yet to start to throw him into the pitch at the level the sessions demand to compete in this league."
Oleksandr Zinchenko was not involved in the West Ham United game after picking up a groin issue, and Arteta says it is not clear when the Ukrainian will be back.
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The Frenchman – with seven games to go - says the title is still effectively in the Gunners’ hands.
"We’ll see about that one as well, it’s not certain," he added. "It’s a muscular injury, and it needs some time to heal, and we’re not there yet."
Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney are expected to start once again in the absence of Saliba and Zinchenko, and Arteta is happy about how they have grabbed their opportunities.
"Their contribution is huge," the Spaniard continued. "First of all, the way they behave around the team, how patient they have been, and when they have to play what they have produced in terms of performances.
"Now, they are playing more games, they are playing more minutes, and they will continue to do so. This is why you need top-quality players with the right mentality to be ready when you need them on the pitch, and, when you are not using them that much, to contribute to the team in the right way.
"Those two are great examples of that."
Arsenal are set to face Southampton on Friday with the aim of getting back to winning ways after previous 2-2 draws against Liverpool and West Ham.
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