Arsenal centre-back William Saliba earns his first call-up to the senior France squad to replace Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard.

Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has earned his first-call up to the senior France squad to replace Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard.

The 20-year-old is still waiting for his first appearance for the Gunners' first team but has thrived under the tutelage of Jorge Sampaoli at Marseille during his loan spell in the 2021-22 campaign.

Saliba has already made 40 appearances for Les Olympiens in all tournaments this term and has earned a place in Didier Deschamps's France squad for March's friendlies after Pavard withdrew due to COVID-19.

A statement read: "Given the protocol in force in Germany for the recovery of players who have contracted the Coronavirus, Benjamin Pavard is not available to participate in the gathering of the French team, which begins today in Clairefontaine.

"Didier Deschamps has therefore decided to replace the Bayern Munich defender with William Saliba (Olympique de Marseille) for the next two matches against Cote d'Ivoire, in Marseille, on Friday March 25, and against South Africa, on Tuesday. 29, in Lille Metropole."

Saliba has previously represented France from Under-16 to Under-21 level and captained Sylvain Ripoll's side on four occasions last year. body check tags ::

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