Rio Ferdinand feels Mikel Arteta is going to struggle keeping Ezri Konsa and William Saliba happy once the Frenchman returns to first-team action for Arsenal

It's the million-dollar question on everyone's lips. How is Mikel Arteta going to fit Ezri Konsa, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes into the same starting XI?

Rio Ferdinand feels there is trouble up ahead in N5 because in his mind, it's going to be hard to drop Konsa for Saliba, who is widely regarded as one of the best central defenders in world football.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former Manchester United and England player said: "Mikel Arteta has got a huge problem now. What is he going to do when Saliba is fit?

"Because Konsa has come into that back four and said, 'I have been here for 10 years and I am the immovable object now,' that is what it feels [like].

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"He has just slid in there and said, 'listen man, that is my parking spot, it is mine now'. He has made some last-ditch tackles in games to keep them in games and to help them win games.

"He looks dominant, aggressive and he looks accustomed to wearing the Arsenal shirt. He looks like he is meant to be there - but let's not forget about Saliba and what he was doing when he was in the team and how great he looked

"So this is a problem, but it is a problem that Mikel Arteta, I hope, will enjoy -- to have two top centre backs vying to play in that team that are performing at their premium best at the moment, and arguably your best one [Saliba] is not in there, what a position to be in."

Well, Arteta has already issued the perfect reply to such a dilemma. Speaking in Prague before the 2-1 Champions League win over Slavia, football.london asked him how he was going to accommodate Konsa, Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in the same team.

In his mind, he doesn't see it as a "problem" but more a "luxury," stating: "So far we haven't had that luxury, I wouldn't call it a problem. We can talk about problems that are very different to that one.

"So the moment that they are fit and available, we're going to have opportunities as well to give players or to load the players and to manage the congestion of the players in a much better way than we've actually done it. Ezri can play as a full-back, I think his main position is as a centre-back, he can play right or left, Will is on the same with the national team or here at Arsenal. That's going to be something really positive for the team."

At the end of last season, Arteta had to utilise Cristhian Mosquera as a right-back as Jurrien Timber and Ben White battled fitness issues. Mosquera actually started the Champions League final and gave away a penalty for tripping over Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

So any suggestion that Arteta will be up in arms or stressed about such a headache is purely fanciful. As a top-level manager, these are the kind of selection dilemmas you dream of. Ultimately, it will enable him to protect the load of his defenders and further down the line, that could enable them to sustain a challenge on all fronts (outside of the League Cup).