'A mix between Raphael Varane and Virgil van Dijk' - France youth coach hails William Saliba

Saliba joined the Gunners last summer but was immediately loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the season to continue to his development, but will be part of Mikel Arteta's squad for the upcoming Premier League season.

Arsenal seem close to announcing the signing of another defender in Lille’s Gabriel Magalhaes, with the Gunners looking to have beaten Premier League rivals Manchester United to the 22-year-old, as a potential long-term partner for Saliba.

And France youth coach Jean-Luc Vannuchi, who coached Saliba with France's Under-18s, believes Arsenal are getting a valuable asset back among their ranks.

"He is a mix of the two [Varane and Van Dijk's] styles," Vannuchi told The Telegraph. "With Varane because of his speed and power, and with Van Dijk it is the interceptions, the positioning on the pitch.

"When he took the ball and ran into midfield, no one could stop him. He was like a monster compared to the others. When he played with St-Etienne it looked normal for him, even though he was so young.