Arsenal dealt bitter blow as full Ben White recovery timeline revealed
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Arsenal defender Ben White could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks after undergoing knee surgery, talkSPORT understands.
White went under the knife to correct a long-standing issue, having missed four games this season already due to a knee injury.
The 27-year-old had featured 12 times in all competitions for the Gunners.
talkSPORT understands White could miss six to 12 weeks of action.
A lengthy surgery lay-off would also be a major hitch in White’s international comeback plan.
talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham exclusively revealed White is expected to make a major U-turn and declare himself available once Thomas Tuchel 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 making himself available for selection in March,” Durham told talkSPORT on Wednesday.
“That will be when England play for the first time under Thomas Tuchel.
“I’m fascinated to see if Tuchel thinks ‘yes, I’ll have him straight back in, he’s a top four player, he’s playing regularly for Arsenal, so he gets straight back in’.
“Or, whether he says to himself ‘this is somebody who didn’t care about England, so no I’m not going to have him back in’.”
Should White’s recovery take 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 lasts from March 20 to March 25.
However, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may want to wrap White in cotton wool for the final months of the season, with Gunners fans hopeful they will 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.
Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori has been out with a knee injury since October 22 while defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has clocked just six minutes of action having also been sidelined with a similar issue.
However, Arteta anticipates the defensive duo to return after the November international break.
There are also fitness concerns regarding Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who both went off injured during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea and were forced to withdraw from the England squad ahead of the Nations League clashes against Greece and Ireland.
Gunners skipper Martin Odegaard, who recently returned to action following a two-month lay-off from an ankle injury, also pulled out of international duties with Norway.
Arteta will hope there are no further injuries to any of his players before Arsenal’s home fixture against Nottingham Forest on November 23.
