Arsenal fear that Ben White will miss the remainder of this season, and potentially the World Cup, with the knee injury he suffered against West Ham United at the weekend.
White was replaced after 28 minutes of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory after picking up the impact injury, and later left the London Stadium in a knee brace.
Telegraph Sport understands the full extent of the blow is not yet clear, but Arsenal are pessimistic about the defender’s chances of being available to face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final on May 30.
White had re-established himself as a key player for Arsenal in recent weeks following an injury to Jurrien Timber, who had been the first-choice right-back for much of the season.
In all competitions, White has started 10 of the last 12 matches and was excellent in the Champions League semi-final victory over Atlético Madrid last week.
White has been in contention for a place in England’s World Cup squad, having featured in both of the international friendlies in March. He was booed by some England supporters after making his comeback to the squad, having previously withdrawn from international duty during the 2022 World Cup, but scored in England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay.
The injury comes at a delicate time in White’s Arsenal career, as he will have two years remaining on his contract at the end of this season. This would usually be the point at which the club either extends his deal or looks to sell.
Jurrien Timber has been forced to watch his team from the sidelines following an injury in March – David Price/Getty Images
The loss of White makes Arsenal’s need for Timber even more urgent. The Dutch defender has not played for almost two months, after suffering an injury against Everton on March 14.
Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, said before the trip to West Ham that Timber still has a “fair bit to do” in his recovery and that his injury has taken longer than expected to heal.
Without White or Timber, Arteta faces a selection headache at right-back. The most likely player to start there would be young defender Cristhian Mosquera, but Arteta could also choose to use Declan Rice in that position.
Pressure on Mosquera as world’s best winger looms
Cristhian Mosquera has proven to be an excellent signing. Arsenal paid an initial fee of just £13m to buy the 21-year-old from Valencia, largely because he had only one year remaining on his contract, and he has mostly impressed in the 32 appearances he has made this season. He is already worth significantly more than the fee Arsenal paid for him.
Indeed, it was a sign of Mikel Arteta’s faith in Mosquera that he chose to start the Spaniard at right-back when Arsenal faced Manchester City in April. Tall and rangy, Mosquera is a powerful defender who has many stylistic similarities to William Saliba.
Mosquera is a centre-back by trade but may now be the man in possession of the right-back shirt for the remainder of this season. After initially being overlooked in that position against West Ham on Sunday (Arteta chose to play Declan Rice there following White’s injury, before changing his mind at half-time) Mosquera played the entire second half on the right side of Arsenal’s defence.
Cristhian Mosquera played the second half against West Ham following White’s injury – David Price/Getty Images
To do so in potential title-defining matches against Burnley and Crystal Palace will be a challenge for the youngster, who will undoubtedly be targeted by his opponents. There are also serious questions to be asked of his ability on the ball in that position, which could have far-reaching implications for Arsenal’s attacking patterns.
Arteta hinted at this problem after the match, when explaining why he did not immediately use Mosquera at right-back. “With the game that I expected, bringing Mosquera was going to lock something,” said the Arsenal manager.
An even bigger challenge facing Mosquera, should he be the chosen right-back to face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final, is that he will come up against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, perhaps the best winger in world football. Kvaratskhelia, we can be sure, will pose an examination unlike anything Mosquera has ever experienced before. The pressure on Mosquera, still in his first season in English football, could be about to increase dramatically.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is one of the most dangerous wingers in world football – Xavier Laine/Getty Images
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