France has ruled out William Saliba from their upcoming match against Norway, citing a need to rest the defender due to a back injury.
Saliba will be replaced by Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, who is close to joining Chelsea in a £48 million deal, in the heart of France's defence.
France coach Stephan provided an update on Saliba's status at a press conference on Thursday, stating that the defender "won't be there tomorrow" and that the team would refer to Lacroix, who had replaced Saliba in the last few matches.
Saliba had been playing with the back injury at the World Cup, and revealed last week that he had been experiencing minor discomfort for several months.
Despite not being at 100 per cent, Saliba stated that he gritted his teeth and played through the pain, citing the importance of the Champions League and Premier League.
However, it appears that the French staff have now decided to take a more cautious approach and rest Saliba, rather than risk exacerbating the injury.
