Arsenal defender Ben White will be sidelined for “a few months” as he recovers from surgery, manager Mikel Arteta has said.
The 27-year-old full-back started the Gunners’ last game before the international break, a 1-1 draw at Chelsea, completing 90 minutes in his seventh league start of the season.
During the two-week hiatus, White underwent what Arsenal called a “minor surgical procedure” on a knee problem, which Arteta has now confirmed will keep him out for the foreseeable future.
“Ben White will be out for several months, unfortunately,” he said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s Nottm Forest.
“You’ve had different struggles, never the same.
“We have to make a decision, it hasn’t improved in the last few weeks. We know Ben will push every boundary, but it’s getting to the point where we have to protect the player.
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Former Arsenal co-owner and vice-chairman David Dein said there were certain areas of football that ‘worried’ him, including the football calendar, multi-club ownership and financial fair play.
“We decided to do the operation, he agreed and he will stay out for a few months.
“We have to see how he reacts after the operation, I don’t expect half a year, but I can’t say exactly how long.”
White has been a fixture in Arsenal’s back line since his arrival in 2021, missing just seven Premier League games in his first three seasons and featuring in nine of Arsenal’s 11 appearances so far.
Defensive problems have plagued the Gunners this season with Jurrien Timber, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu all struck down by injury at different times, but Arteta is pleased that the rest of the back line has finally cleared the problem.
“It’s a challenge. It’s something we didn’t expect,” he said. “His presence in the defensive line is the best, with Gabriel and William Saliba.
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Arsenal’s unbeaten Gilberto Silva looks undecided on becoming Arsenal’s new Sporting Director. Silva paid tribute to his former team-mate Edu, for the role he played in rebuilding Arsenal as title contenders.
“But we will find an alternative. There are positives – Declan (Rice) is back, Bukayo (Saka) is back, Jurrien is in a good place, Riccardo Calafiori is in a good place, and there is a lot of good news.”
Arteta will manage his 250th Arsenal game on Saturday against Nottingham Forest, who have the same points as him in the Premier League table as the Gunners are on a four-match winless run in the league.
The international break gave the manager a chance to reflect on what was behind those last results, and while identifying the areas he wanted to improve on, the 42-year-old felt Arsenal were not like two points from their last four games. can advise.
He said: “We have analyzed everything we have done. Are the opponents better than us, why are we not winning the game? The obvious answer is no.
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Paul Merson says Arsenal’s title chances are ‘done’ if Liverpool’s gap goes beyond 12 points while Jamie Redknapp says it’s a perfect weekend for the Reds in the title race.
“Do we need to win more games? The answer is yes. Do I like what our team is doing, the answer is yes, but we need to improve some things. Especially defending and attacking the box.
“I can think of a lot of things overall, but I have to know how the players are doing. The only way to do that, apart from communicating with them on the phone, is when they come back.
“And the energy from the staff and players yesterday was unbelievable. It was a joy to be with these guys on this journey.
“He’s happy here, he’s happy to be back with us, and he brings energy right away. It’s always good to paint a picture, and make sure we’re on the right path.”
