Arsenal defender Ben White has undergone a minor procedure this week to address ongoing joint issues, which manager Mikel Arteta referenced in his pre-match comments ahead of the team’s defeat at Newcastle.
Arteta revealed, “Ben [White] didn’t make it to start because he only had half a session yesterday so it’s the third time.
“It’s a little issue so we have to protect him.”
White has missed several recent matches, including those against Leicester City, Southampton, PSG, and Bolton, and is believed to be dealing with a knee problem.
Although White was able to finish last season strongly following a period of rest in Dubai, the extent of his current injury and recovery timeline remains unclear.
In his absence, Jurrien Timber has been positioned as a potential replacement, though he has recently been deployed as a left-back.
This opens the door for other options, including Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, or Myles Lewis-Skelly, who may step up to fill the role on the left side of defence.
With a busy schedule ahead, particularly with the winter period fast approaching, all eyes are also on the potential return of Riccardo Calafiori.
Arteta mentioned at the end of October that Calafiori could be sidelined for a spell, but his addition could prove crucial during the dense run of fixtures.
“Will be out for a few weeks I’d say,” he said.
Calafiori is likely to miss the upcoming fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Sporting, and West Ham.
However, with Martin Odegaard defying expectations and returning ahead of schedule, there is hope among fans.
White now joins the growing list of injured players, which includes Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Odegaard, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Kieran Tierney.
While the injury list continues to expand, the hope is that this break will help reduce it significantly.
Arsenal will return to action against Nottingham Forest after the international break, knowing they need to embark on a winning run to close the gap to league leaders Liverpool at the top of the table.
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