- Ben White is on the sidelines for an extended period after surgery
- The Arsenal star was initially expected to be out for just six to eight weeks
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Mikel Arteta said Ben White will be out for ‘months’ after minor knee surgery in what is a major blow for Arsenal.
White underwent the procedure during the international break and has managed his workload this season due to the injury.
A timeline of six to eight weeks was initially suggested, but Arteta was candid in his assessment.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, he said: ‘Ben will unfortunately be out for months.
“It’s been different struggles, it’s never been the same. We have had to make a decision, unfortunately things have not improved in recent weeks.
‘We know Ben is going to push every limit, but it got to a point where we had to protect the player and we decided to carry out the operation.
Arsenal star Ben White faces a long spell on the sidelines after surgery
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday: ‘Ben will unfortunately be out for months’
“He agreed to that and it will keep him out for a few months.”
Arteta would not give a more specific estimate, but added that he does not expect White to be out for ‘six months’.
The Gunners have not recorded a league win since beating Southampton 3-1 on October 5 and are currently nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
They can afford more missteps, even though the campaign is so early in the schedule. Forest lost to Newcastle before the international break but are unbeaten on the road, with only Liverpool having claimed more points away from home so far.
However, Arteta also had some positive injury news on Friday as he confirmed it Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard are all said to be available for Forest.
“Trossard seems to be fine, he trained this morning and feels good,” Arteta added.
“We’ll review everything with the doctor, but he was able to do part of that session, so that’s good.
‘Bukayo and Declan also had their first sessions today – breakout sessions – so that’s really good too.’
Defender White has played in twelve of Arsenal’s seventeen matches in all competitions this season
Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka (from left to right) are all fit to play on Saturday
Riccardo Calafiori also returns to the squad after missing the last five games through injury.
Kieran Tierney is back in training but unavailable, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is absent for a ‘period’.
Forest’s visit will be Arteta’s 250th in charge of the Gunners, who are currently fourth in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
“I’m extremely grateful, very happy, I’ve loved every minute of it,” he said.
‘I understand how lucky I am to be where I am. I am extremely proud to see what we radiate as a football club, as a team.
‘But in the end it’s about winning. You want to win more, you want to win big trophies, and we are on that journey.”