Arsenal star William Saliba called ‘the main loser’ and given abysmal rating in France defeat

Arsenal star William Saliba was slammed by the French media for his performance against Germany on Tuesday night.

France suffered a 2-1 defeat against the managerless Germans in a friendly at Signal Iduna Park earlier this week.

Saliba is not first choice for his countryGetty

Goals from Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane ensured that Antoine Griezmann’s late penalty was only a consolation.

Les Bleus were widely criticised for their overall display but Saliba has been singled out by sections of the press.

Despite his heroic performances for the Gunners over the last 12 months, the 22-year-old does not usually start for France.

Manager Didier Deschamps gave him the nod over Bayern Munich star Dayot Upamecano for the friendly – but Saliba failed to seize his opportunity.

Eurosport journalist Martin Mosnier said: “Tonight, Saliba was not good. He justifies a bit the lack of trust from Deschamps.

“There are others too… but if I had to pick the main loser, it would be Saliba.”

Meanwhile, Get French Football News gave the Arsenal star a 3/10 rating.

Explaining the decision, the French outlet wrote: “The Arsenal man struggled, especially in the early stages, looking sloppy in and out of possession in his slightly unnatural position at left-centre-back.

“He should have been tighter to Muller for Germany’s opener, although in truth, Germany’s early dominance was the result of France’s collective defensive shortcomings.”