ARSENAL have suffered another major injury blow after Ben White underwent knee surgery.
The right-back has gone under the knife for minor surgery to fix a joint problem in his knee.
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The Press Association reports White, 27, will be ruled out for EIGHT weeks, meaning he will not play again until the New Year.
But SunSport understands Arsenal remain hopeful he could still play a part in the festive schedule.
White has been playing through the pain barrier this season, but has been limited to 12 appearances.
He did play the full 90 minutes in the Gunners’ past two matches against Inter Milan and Chelsea.
But now the decision has been made to have an operation during the international break.
Mikel Arteta previously said that White has a “little issue” and “we have to protect him”.
But the boss now has a defensive crisis to deal with as Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are already out, with Jurrien Timber only just back from a muscle strain.
Further up the pitch, both Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have both withdrawn from the England squad due to injury concerns.
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After the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday, Arteta revealed he has been “praying” for an end to Arsenal’s fitness problems after a “nightmare eight weeks”.
White will miss several huge games if he remains sidelined until next year.
The Gunners face Nottingham Forest, Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and West Ham in the week after the international break.
Clashes against Fulham and Manchester United then follow ahead of a busy period around Christmas.
Arsenal ratings v Chelsea
Here’s how SunSport’s Tony Robertson rated the Gunners:
David Raya – 7
Tipped a shot over the bar early on from Cole Palmer and claimed crosses well. Could do nothing about Neto’s crisp strike.
Ben White – 5
Poor when trying to stop a Neto cross that Malo Gusto should have then scored. Booked for a foul on the winger later on.
William Saliba – 6
Steady alongside Gabriel but was more in the covering role so had less to do. Struggled with his line-breaking passes today on the whole. Failed to engage Neto as he raced towards the area before narrowing a shot into the corner.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 6
Made some vital blocks when the midfield was bypassed and was generally the busier of himself and Saliba.
Jurrien Timber – 6
Busy day for the defender in trying to keep Madueke quiet, a task he largely succeeded in. But he wasn’t able to heavily influence the game going forward since the ball never really got to him. Most entertaining part of the game before the goal probably came with the 57th-minute throw-in that slipped out of his hands and over his head.
Thomas Partey – 6
Struggled to contain Cole Palmer early on but grew into the game and got on the ball plenty, although he was somewhat wayward with his long-range passing. After a bad touch he managed to poke the ball back to Odegaard before he provided the assist.
Declan Rice – 6
Made some vital defensive contributions to block some Chelsea chances and displayed quick thinking at a free-kick to put Havertz through to score, but was marginally offside. Subbed off after 71 minutes.
Martin Odegaard – 7
Back in the starting XI for the first time since August. Has been a big miss for Arteta’s side but may take some time to get back to his best and was on the ball nowhere near enough at the Bridge. Won the ball back before providing the assist for Martinelli’s opener.
Bukayo Saka – 5
Showed superb defensive work rate to keep Marc Cucurella in check, though this inversely meant he was unable to contribute as much in attack. Subbed off after pulling up injured in the 79th minute.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8
Should have done better when given the chance to score past Sanchez in the penalty area after Saka won the ball back high. Kept at it and scored against the run of play in the second half with a nice finish to Sanchez’s near post. Hooked after 71 minutes.
Kai Havertz – 6
Appeared to have poked home the opening goal with a sharp bit of movement but was fractionally offside. Booked for not going off the pitch when bleeding on his head.
