Arsenal defender Ben White has been ruled out for a “few months” after undergoing surgery during the international break.
White has struggled for fitness in recent weeks and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta explained it was a culmination of things that prompted an operation.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game with Nottingham Forest, he said: “Ben White is going to be out for months, unfortunately.
“It’s been different kinds of struggles, never the same thing.
“We had to make a decision, it hasn’t been improving in the last few weeks. We know Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to a point where we had to protect the player.
“We decided to do surgery, he agreed with that and that’s going to keep him out for a few months.
“We have to see how he reacts post-surgery, I don’t expect it to be half a year but I can’t say exactly how long it will be.”
There was better news on three other key players. Arteta added: “Bukayo [Saka] and Declan [Rice] have had their first partial sessions back today – they did very well.
“Riccardo Calafiori has trained, his rehab has gone really well. This week he trained on the pitch, he trained with us today – and he will be back in the squad.”
Arsenal have won just one of their last five games in all competitions – a 3-0 success at Preston in the EFL Cup – but Arteta is not panicking and remains confident better results are just around the corner.
He added: “We’ve analysed everything we’ve done. Have the opponents been superior to us, is that the reason we haven’t won games?
“The clear answer is no. Should we have won more of those games? The answer is yes. Do I like what our team is doing, the answer is yes, but we have to improve certain things. Especially defending and attacking the box.
“I can think of a lot of things overall, but I need to understand how the players are. The only way to do that, apart from communicating with them on the phone, is when they come back.
“And the energy of the staff and players yesterday was unbelievable. That’s the joy of being with these guys on this journey.
“They love being here, they love being back with us, and that brings the energy straight away. It’s always good to paint the picture, and make sure we are on the right track.”
