Ben White has broken his silence on social media, posting photos to his Instagram page showing him running as he recovers from a serious knee injury.
The right-back suffered the injury against West Ham, a result that proved title-defining for Arsenal but came at a devastating personal cost for the defender.
The knee problem ruled White out of the UEFA Champions League final and also ended any hopes of featuring in Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was far from optimistic when he first addressed the injury in the immediate aftermath of the West Ham match.
“We don’t know but it doesn’t look good at all,” Arteta said. “He needs some further testing tomorrow, probably, and then we will know.”
Fans were forced to wait a further week before Arteta returned with a more definitive assessment, and the news was as difficult as many had feared.
“We have to wait and see. It looks like a long-term injury,” Arteta said. “At the moment, the focus is can we have him back and be available for Arsenal. That’s not going to happen in many, many weeks.”
The timeline remained unclear to many observers, particularly after it emerged that surgery would not be required to address the injury.
White’s Instagram update has therefore provided genuine relief, suggesting his rehabilitation is progressing well ahead of Arsenal’s pre-season return in mid-July.
The right-back position has been a persistent concern for Arsenal, with Jurrien Timber also suffering serious injury issues that forced the Netherlands international to withdraw from the Oranje squad before the World Cup began.
White’s future at the club adds another layer of complexity to what is already a challenging summer for Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy.
Arsenal are understood to be actively looking at full-backs during the transfer window, with Sporting CP’s Ivan Fresneda among the players appreciated by the club.
The Instagram post serves a dual purpose, reassuring Arsenal of White’s progress while also alerting any potential suitors to his improving physical condition.
Pre-season begins in earnest with a friendly against Girona on August 1, with Arteta expected to speak to the press publicly for the first time around that fixture.
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