Mikel Arteta backs William Saliba to handle increased exposure after debut

Mikel Arteta has backed William Saliba to deal with all of the exposure that comes his way following his fine Arsenal debut, insisting the France defender will keep his feet on the ground.

Saliba, 21, made his long-awaited Gunners bow in their 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace last Friday night.

Having initially moved to the Emirates Stadium from St Etienne in 2019, he rejoined his former club on loan six months later before season-long stays at Nice and Marseille.

It was during his stint at Marseille last season where he caught the eye, making his senior France debut as well as being named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year and earning a place in the division’s overall Team of the Year.

His impressive competitive debut for Arsenal saw Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville liken Saliba to a “young Rio Ferdinand” while others compared his performance against Palace to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.

Such praise may have come early on in Saliba’s career, but Arteta feels the central defender will be unaffected by any heightened levels of expectation.

“I think he has his feet on the ground, that is not going to be an issue,” Arteta said.

“Obviously we have talked about the expectation that he already created before joining the club, when he was on loan.

“He is very aware that everything that was happening around him and we have tried to manage that internally in a really quiet way and I think it is better to stay like this for him because he is 21 years of age and he has played one Premier League match.”

Arteta revealed that not only had he been struck by Saliba’s approach since he returned to north London during the summer but that his Arsenal team-mates were also impressed.

“The first impression was really positive,” added the Arsenal