Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has explained holding back William Saliba so far this season.

The Gunners signed the 19-year-old defender last summer from Saint-Etienne for a fee of £27million.

Saliba, who as a target for Arsenal's bitter rivals Tottenham, was immediately loaned back to the Ligue 1 side for the duration of the 2019-20 campaign in order to further his progression.

“I think William is doing really well," the Spaniard said of Saliba. "He is adapting to the country, adapting to our club.

“We have to bear in mind that he had a really challenging season last year with the amount of injuries that he had.

“But he is a player that is going to be really important in our future, things sometimes take some time and we have to respect that."