Arsenal fear that their versatile defender, Ben White, could be missing for a substantial amount of time, due to his hamstring injury. Here is what manager Mikel Arteta said, the last time that he publicly spoke of the situation on Saturday: “It looks like a hamstring [injury], so we don’t know the extent of that, but probably tomorrow or the day after, we’ll know more.”
That was said before the diagnostic scans were conducted. And now that Arsenal have had a chance to conduct further testing, the results aren’t great. According to a report in BBC Sport, the club have a “fear” that White’s hamstring problem will keep him out a “minimum of a month.”
Ben White can slot in at both center back and fullback, so he’s a key figure who is certainly going to be missed over the span of the next month or so.
Arsenal are already without the services of two central defenders right now, Gabriel Magalhaes (groin) and Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) until most likely the end of the month (which also means the end of the calendar year).
So Arteta will need to get creative with the spine of his back line in the next coming matches. Speaking of, which important matches will Ben White likely miss? Well, Saturday sees the Gunners host the better-than-expected-this-season Everton FC in league play.
Then it’s a quick turnaround to hosting Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup quarterfinals.
The current estimated timeline, if ultimately accurate, would see White miss five more league fixtures, including critical clashes against Aston Villa on December 30 and Liverpool on January 8.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.