Arsenal dealt a blow as Mikel Arteta confirms full extent of Ben White sacking

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that defender Ben White will be sidelined for months after undergoing knee surgery.

talkSPORT revealed last week that White went under the knife to correct a long-standing problem, which has seen him miss four games this season.

Arteta said: “Ben will be out for months. It's been different kinds of struggles. It's never been the same. It hasn't gotten better.”

“We had to make a decision, it hasn't improved in recent weeks. We know that Ben is going to push all the boundaries, but there came a point where we had to protect the player.

“We decided to have surgery, he agreed to that and that will keep him out for a few months.

“We have to see how he reacts after the surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I can't say exactly how long it will be.”

A lengthy surgical layoff will also be a major hurdle in White's international comeback plan.

talkSPORT's Adrian Durham exclusively revealed that White is expected to do so a big change of direction and declare yourself available once Thomas Tuchel He begins his duties as England manager in January.

White left the Three Lions camp at the 2022 World Cup during the tournament after a disagreement with former assistant coach Steve Holland under Gareth Southgate.

But according to Durham, White will be able to take advantage of what promises to be a clean slate under Tuchel.

“I've heard from a very good source that Arsenal's Ben White will be available for selection in March,” Durham told talkSPORT on Wednesday.

“It will be then when England plays for the first time with Thomas Tuchel.

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“I'm fascinated to see if Tuchel thinks 'yes, I'll bring him back straight away, he's one of the four best players, he plays regularly for Arsenal, so he'll come back straight away.'

“Or if you say to yourself 'this is someone who didn't care about England, so no, I'm not going to let him come back.'”

If White's recovery took up to 12 weeks, it would mean a return to action in early February.

It could leave White in a race against time to prove his fitness for the March international window, which runs from March 20-25.

However, Arsenal manager Arteta may want to wrap White in cotton wool during the final months of the season, with Gunners fans hoping to be in the title race at that stage.

White's injury is the latest for the north London side, who have been decimated by injuries to key players in the opening months of the campaign.

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Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori has been out a knee injury since October 22, while defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has played just six minutes of action after being sidelined with a similar problem.

However, Arteta anticipates the defensive duo will return after the November international break.

There are also concerns over the health of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who were injured during Arsenal's 1-1 draw against Chelsea and were forced to withdraw from the England squad ahead of the Nations League clashes against Greece and Ireland. .

Gunners captain Martin Odegaard, who recently returned to action after two months out with an ankle injury, has also retired from international duty with Norway.

Arteta will hope there are no further injuries to any of his players ahead of Arsenal's home game against Nottingham Forest on November 23.