A painful personnel setback for Arsenal in the final stretch of the season: Defender Ben White will miss the rest of the season with the Gunners due to a knee injury—and will most likely miss the World Cup this summer as well.
Arsenal paid a heavy price for their 1-0 away win at West Ham United, a result that could ultimately prove decisive in the title race. As the Gunners announced on Tuesday, right-back Ben White has suffered a “severe injury to the medial ligament in his knee.”
The rest of the season with his club is definitely over for the defensive specialist. More painful than the Premier League matches against Burnley (H) and Crystal Palace (A)—which could bring the first league title since 2004—is likely to be the match on May 30: That’s when Arsenal will finally face Bayern Munich’s conquerors, Paris Saint-Germain, in the Champions League final in Budapest.
Tuchel brought White back—and he scored immediately
This season and last, White has been plagued by injuries time and again. The defender’s knees have been affected repeatedly. The new injury will likely shatter yet another dream: The likelihood that White will be able to participate with his home country, England, in the World Cup finals in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is very low.
It is no coincidence that Arsenal wrote in its brief statement regarding White’s diagnosis: “Our medical team is now overseeing Ben’s recovery and rehabilitation program, with everyone fully focused on supporting the goal of having Ben fit and ready for the start of our preseason.”
There is no longer any talk of the World Cup. Consistent reports in the English media suggest that further tests will be conducted to explore any remaining chances of participating in the tournament.
It’s a bitter blow for White: After not being part of the national team for four years, head coach Thomas Tuchel had placed his trust in him for the March international matches. White saw action against Uruguay (1-1) and Japan (0-1)—and even scored his very first international goal against the South Americans.
So far this season, White has appeared twelve times in the Premier League, eleven times in the Champions League, four times in the League Cup, and three times in the FA Cup for Arsenal.