Arsenal are set to be without defender Ben White for three months after his recent knee surgery, a report has revealed.
White missed a handful of games earlier this season because of a knee issue and, after returning to action, subsequently opted for surgery after failing to shake off the problem.
"Ben is going to be out for months," manager Mikel Arteta revealed. "It's been different kinds of struggles. It's never been the same thing.
"It's not been improving. It got to a point a where we have to protect the player and let him have surgery. Unfortunately it's going to be a few months. We have to see how he reacts post-surgery."
According to the Daily Mail, club medical staff are not expecting White back for at least three months, with any comeback before February viewed as a bonus.
The news comes as a significant blow to Arsenal and Arteta, who has openly blamed his side's struggles with fitness problems for their recent inconsistent form.
Thankfully for the Gunners, they appear to have turned a corner on the injury front. Jurrien Timber has been starting at right-back after returning from his own fitness issue, with Riccardo Calafiori's own return on the other side of defence adding to Arteta's options.
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