Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that defender Ben White will be out for “months” following knee surgery.
The 27-year-old has been struggling with several injuries, prompting the decision to operate during the international break. “Ben has had various issues, and unfortunately, he hasn’t shown improvement in recent weeks,” Arteta said ahead of the team’s upcoming match against Nottingham Forest.
“He’s always willing to push himself, but we reached a point where we needed to ensure his long-term health, leading us to decide on surgery. He agreed to this course of action, which will keep him sidelined for several months.”
While Arteta did not provide a specific recovery timeline, he mentioned, “We’ll need to monitor his post-surgery progress. I don’t expect it to be as long as six months, but it’s hard to say for sure.”
On a brighter note, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are set to return after recovering from minor injuries sustained during the draw against Chelsea. Additionally, Riccardo Calafiori may be available for selection after a month out due to a knee problem, although Takehiro Tomiyasu will continue to be unavailable.
