The former England international underwent minor surgery during the November break to address a persistent joint issue. White had previously missed four games between September and October but played through pain over the past month to remain available for selection.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Arteta provided an update on White’s condition.
“Unfortunately, Ben White will be out for months,” Arteta said. “It’s been a series of different struggles, not just one issue. We reached a point where things weren’t improving, and we had to make a decision. Ben always pushes himself to the limit, but we needed to protect him.”
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Arteta explained that surgery was the best course of action for the defender. “We decided on surgery, and Ben agreed. Now it’s about seeing how he recovers. I don’t expect it to be as long as six months, but I can’t give a precise timeline yet.”
White’s absence adds to Arsenal’s growing injury list. Right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu will also miss several weeks as he continues treatment for his own knee problem, with Arteta mentioning that a change in environment might aid his recovery. Although Kieran Tierney has returned to training, he remains unavailable for selection.
However, there was some good news for Arsenal fans. Leandro Trossard appears to have recovered well after limping off during Belgium’s defeat to Israel earlier this week. “Leandro seems OK and is feeling good,” Arteta confirmed.
Riccardo Calafiori is set to return after recovering from a month-long knee injury, while Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, both of whom withdrew from international duty with England, are expected to feature against Forest. “They looked very good in partial training sessions,” Arteta said, signaling optimism for their availability.