Arsenal rocked by Ben White injury blow in double bid as Mikel Arteta faces crisis | OneFootball

Gunners boss needs quick defensive solution during Premier League title run-in as Champions League final also looms

Arsenal defender Ben White will miss the rest of the season with a “significant” knee injury, ruling him out of the Champions League final.

The right-back limped off with the aid of a member of Arsenal’s medical staff and left the London Stadium wearing a knee brace.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said White’s injury didn’t “look good”, and his worst fears now appear to have been confirmed.

He will also now be a serious doubt to feature in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup finals this summer, having only returned from a four-year international exile in March.

An Arsenal statement read: “Further to Sunday’s match at West Ham United, subsequent assessments and specialist reviews have confirmed that Ben White has sustained a significant medial knee ligament injury, which will rule him out for the remainder of this season.

With first-choice option Jurrien Timber also currently out injured amid questions over if he will play again this term, Arsenal will be left without a natural right-back for the remainder of the campaign.

White has started each of Arsenal’s last five matches following Timber’s injury suffered against Everton in March, including both legs of the Champions League semi-final win over Atletico Madrid.

Injury blow: Ben White limped out of Arsenal’s Premier League win over West Ham

Getty

Declan Rice briefly stood in for White after he went off against West Ham, but was far from at his best playing out of position and was restored to his usual central midfield role for the second half.

Cristhian Mosquera - who came on at half-time against West Ham - will be the most likely contender to step up in the absence of Timber and White. The other full-back options in Arsenal’s first-team squad, Piero Hincapie, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori, all play on the left.

Lewis-Skelly has also excelled in a starting midfield role in recent weeks, alongside Rice, while Calafiori went off at the interval on Sunday.

A controversial victory over West Ham left Arsenal with a five-point cushion to Manchester City at the Premier League summit, with Pep Guardiola’s side playing their game in hand against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

The Gunners remain in pole position to secure the title for the first time since 2004, but Arteta will require a quick defensive fix as he bids to complete a famous double.