Arsenal mainstay reportedly unhappy with treatment given to Nigerian-born star

Arsenal defender William Saliba is reportedly deeply unhappy with the way French club Marseille handled teenage prodigy Ethan Nwaneri during his recent loan spell.

The prominent French international centre-back, who previously enjoyed a highly successful developmental loan stint with Marseille himself, still retains a strong emotional affection for the Ligue 1 outfit.

According to a report from French outlet La Provence, Saliba actively used his personal experience to encourage Nwaneri to complete a winter loan switch to the south of France.

The temporary transfer initially yielded excellent results, with the highly-rated Nigerian-born midfielder making an immediate impact by scoring a brilliant goal on his debut match against Lens in January.

However, despite that explosive start, the youngster's tactical involvement under the coaching staff gradually declined as the campaign progressed.

To the frustration of his parent club, Nwaneri was frozen out and left largely absent from Marseille’s matchday squads during the crucial final weeks of the domestic season.

A source close to Saliba has claimed that the 25-year-old defender grew so immensely frustrated by the unfolding situation that he actively stopped watching Marseille's matches altogether out of sheer annoyance at how little Nwaneri was playing.

Ahead of the midfielder's highly anticipated move, Saliba had painted a glowing picture of Marseille to his young Arsenal teammate, describing it as an incredibly special club that boasted a fantastic, unrivalled stadium atmosphere.

Seeing the Nigerian-born starlet starved of valuable developmental minutes and first-team opportunities made the entire ordeal significantly more disappointing from Saliba's protective perspective.