Arsenal have been dealt another major injury blow as Mikel Arteta has confirmed that defender Ben White has been ruled out for ‘a few months’ ahead of their clash against Nottingham Forest.
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is ruled out for ‘a few months’ after undergoing knee surgery during the international window.
It comes as the latest blow in what has already been a frustrating season with injuries for the Gunners.
White has already missed parts of the campaign due to different injuries, while Arteta and co. have also had to deal with the absence of club captain Martin Odegaard, who has since returned after spending two months on the sidelines.
Arsenal Injury Update: Ben White Out For ‘A Few Months’
Addressing the media ahead of Saturday’s clash against Nottingham Forest, Arteta confirmed that White is set for a lengthy spell away from the field of play.
“Ben is going to be out for months, unfortunately.
“It’s been different kinds of struggles. It’s never been the same thing. It’s not been improving,” Arteta explained.
“It got to a point where we have to protect the player. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a few months. I don’t expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you [how long].”
“He will be out for a few months” ❌
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Ben White will be out for “few months” after undergoing knee surgery 🚨 pic.twitter.com/iBot9ueIsG
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 22, 2024
Arteta then went on to provide an update on Takehiro Tomiyasu, who, like White, is ruled out of the weekend’s action, leaving the Gunners struggling for depth in the right-back position.
“He’s going to be away now for a few weeks to continue with his treatment and change his environment a bit. He’s a guy that will work 24 hours to be fit and he feels terrible being out. Hopefully it can unlock him.”
The Spaniard continued, revealing some positive news on Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice following the pair’s withdrawals from the England squad last week.
“Bukayo and Declan are very good, they had a partial session.”
Leandro Trossard, Riccardo Calafiori and Odegaard join the pair in being available for Forest’s visit, meanwhile Arteta confirmed that Kieran Tierney remains ruled out with a hamstring issue.
The UK’s best football betting sites have Arsenal as clear favourites to claim all three points at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, with Saka rated at around 8/5 to score at anytime during the match.
