Marli Salmon Withdraws from England Under-18 Squad

Arsenal teenager Marli Salmon has been forced to pull out of the England Under-18 squad, cutting short what was meant to be a landmark week in his young career.

The 17-year-old defender, highly regarded inside the club, had just enjoyed his first senior appearance of the season in Arsenal’s 4-2 EFL Cup win over Ipswich Town last Tuesday. That outing was supposed to be the springboard into his first taste of Under-18 international football.

Instead, he is staying at London Colney.

Salmon’s step up put on hold

Salmon, who has already featured four times for England Under-17s, had been named in Will Antwi’s squad for a trio of Under-18 friendlies against Colombia, Egypt and South Korea. It would have been his debut at that age group, another notch on a rapidly climbing development ladder.

The call, though, has had to wait. An injury – with the exact problem yet to be disclosed – has ruled him out and forced Antwi into a late reshuffle.

Chelsea defender Gabriel Sambou has been drafted in as his replacement. Sambou, who has represented both Poland and England at youth level, now gets the chance to stake his claim while Salmon begins his recovery back at Arsenal.

The hope at the club is that the issue is minor. If his rehab goes smoothly, Salmon is expected to return for Arsenal’s Under-21s in their Premier League 2 clash with Sunderland on October 10. There is also the tantalising possibility that Mikel Arteta could involve him in the senior squad for the Premier League meeting with Leeds on the same day, depending on his fitness and Arsenal’s needs.

Another England withdrawal from Arsenal ranks

Salmon’s setback arrived on the same day another Arsenal name dropped off an England squad list.

Declan Rice has withdrawn from Thomas Tuchel’s senior England group, a decision understood to be based on load management after a punishing spell of football. Rice played 55 games for Arsenal last season, added seven more at the World Cup, and has already started six of Arsenal’s eight fixtures in the current campaign, including all five Premier League matches.

His omission underlines the physical strain on Arsenal’s core players. Piero Hincapie, meanwhile, has been left out of Ecuador’s squad amid concerns over his fitness, adding another note of caution around workload and durability at the top level.

For Salmon, the picture is simpler but just as significant: get fit, get back, and pick up the momentum that was starting to build before this untimely pause.