Ben White ruled out for ‘months’ as Arsenal hit by latest injury blow
The full-back underwent a knee operation during the international break and the extent of the injury blow has been confirmed
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ben White will be out for “months” after undergoing knee surgery, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed.
The full-back had an operation during the international break and is set for a significant spell on the sidelines.
It’s the latest injury blow for the Gunners in what has been a difficult season in terms of absences, with Arteta even describing it as a “nightmare”.
The 27-year-old defender had missed spells of the season due to the injury, before the decision was made to undergo the procedure.
“He’s had different kinds of struggles. It’s never been the same thing but we had to make a decision,” ”Arteta explained on Friday.
“It hasn’t really improved in the last few weeks. We know that Ben is going to push every boundary but it got to a point that we had to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
“He agreed with that and obviously that’s going to keep him out for a few months. We have to see how he reacts to the surgery.
“I don’t expect it to be half a year, but I cannot say how long exactly.”
White has been a crucial part of Arsenal’s emergence as title contenders under Arteta, starting 36 and 35 of their Premier League fixtures over the previous two seasons.
Arsenal have also had to go without captain Martin Odegaard for two months, while Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice had to miss England duty due to knocks
But both have returned to training ahead of the home match against Nottingham Forest, while Riccardo Calafiori should be available after missing five matches and Leandro Trossard is fine despite limping off for Belgium in midweek.
The Gunners are already nine points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League, and are winless in four games in all competitions ahead of the home clash against Forest on Saturday.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments