Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has provided another positive update on the fitness of defender Ben White ahead of their Champions League last-16 second leg against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.
The Gunners are in total command of the tie, leading 7-1 from the away leg in Eindhoven last week, recording the biggest-ever away win in the knockout stage of the competition.
White was a late substitute in the Netherlands, replacing Jurrien Timber with just over 10 minutes remaining, after also making brief cameo appearances in the Premier League fixtures with West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.
Arteta kept White back on Sunday though, when Arsenal drew 1-1 in a tense affair at Old Trafford with Manchester United, possibly with the view of giving him significantly more playing time in the second leg.
The 27-year-old has not started for the Gunners since early November in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea, when he sustained a hamstring injury that required surgery shortly after.
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Arteta confirms White could start against PSV
However, following a near-four-month layoff, White now looks set to make his full return to the Arsenal setup.
Speaking to the press before the second leg with PSV, Arteta spoke positively about the potential of White starting on Wednesday.
With Arsenal in such a comfortable position, Arteta can afford to rotate and give minutes to players who have been on the fringes recently, or, in White's case, those needing to build match fitness.
Arteta began with a word of warning, suggesting that White has not had an easy road to recovery, before confirming he will be available to start.
"I think we have to manage him very well because he was still having some issues to manage in terms of the load," Arteta revealed.
"We're very cautious of that to make sure that when he comes back, he can now maintain that level, and there's no more setbacks. But I think he's in a good position now to give him a start."
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Benefits for both Arsenal and England?
White's return is well-timed for Arsenal ahead of a potential surge into the latter stages of the Champions League, but it could also be beneficial to England, despite the player's recent self-exclusion from the national setup.
However, after leaving the England camp during the 2022 World Cup due to a rumoured bust-up with Gareth Southgate's assistant Steve Holland, there is now a clean slate with Thomas Tuchel and his team in charge.
Tuchel has gone on record saying he will reach out to White and consider him for selection, but it is still not clear whether a call-up would be of interest to the Arsenal man.
The drop off in form of Kyle Walker, and Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive shortcomings means Tuchel will be keeping his eye on possible solutions in that area of the back four, with many of the other right-back options mostly inexperienced at international level.
Andrew Delaney
