Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta is hopeful that English defender Ben White will be available towards the end of the season. White recently underwent surgery to address a persistent knee injury, meaning a long wait before he can return to action. Arteta confirmed that the recovery process will take “a few months” for the English footballer.
White has been a key player for Arsenal over the past two seasons. This season, before his injury, he featured in nine league matches, starting in seven of them.
The knee issue had been troubling the 27-year-old for some time, and during the recent international break, the decision was made to proceed with surgery. Ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Arteta provided an update on White’s condition during a press conference.
“Unfortunately, Ben will be out for a few months… His condition wasn’t improving over the past few weeks, so we had to make a decision. We know Ben will give it his all, but the situation reached a point where we had to protect the player,” Arteta said.
“We decided on surgery, and Ben agreed. Now he’ll be out for a few months. We’ll monitor how quickly he recovers post-surgery. I don’t think it will take half a year for him to return, but I can’t say for certain how long it will be.”
Adding to Arsenal’s defensive concerns, Takehiro Tomiyasu is also struggling with a knee injury. Arteta hinted that Tomiyasu, too, might be unavailable for an extended period.
