Mikel Arteta praises Ben White after his inclusion in England’s World Cup squad

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By Martin Graham | 13th Nov 2022

Ben White was named in England’s 26-man list for the World Cup. Mikel Arteta said his invitation was down to the hard work and diligence of the defender for Arsenal this term.

When Arsenal signed Ben White, he was supposed to be a colossus in defence for the Gunners, but he now plays at right-back, where he thrived for the Gunners. He has become integral to an Arsenal side that sits atop the Premier League.

The Englishman lost his position to the duo of Gabriel and William Saliba in the centre of defence for Arsenal. He has been in excellent form and is a regular starter for Arsenal. The former Brighton player has shown that he has what it takes to thrive at right-back.

The form of Ben White has been too good to ignore, and during a period when there were questions about the players who would represent England at the World Cup, he managed to smuggle himself into the conversation. Gareth Southgate has thus included the Arsenal defender in the squad list for the World Cup in Qatar.

Mikel Arteta praises Ben White’s World Cup inclusion
Following the call-up of Ben White to the Three Lions for the World Cup, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was full of praise for the former Brighton defender. Arteta praised White for earning a spot in the World Cup squad and said it was down to his impressive performance for the Gunners this term.

White was part of the Three Lions in two friendlies in March but omitted during their recent Nations League campaign. The absence of the defender during the Nations League puts the chances of picking a spot in the team to Qatar in doubt, but Southgate seems convinced that White has something to offer the team at the Mundial.

At his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Wolves, Arteta touched on the call-up to the national team for the World Cup. Arteta said he, the rest of the staff and players were happy for White. He said credit must go to White

Many Arsenal players are off to Qatar
Arsenal has a massive contingent representing their countries in the World. Some players playing for the north London club going to Qatar are Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale, who were included in the England squad. The attacking pair of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli was also included in the Brazil set-up, while Granit Xhaka represents Switzerland.

The Premier League will be on break after this weekend and will restart eight days after the World Cup final. Arteta confessed that he would have to keep in touch with his players to ascertain their well-being. He said the way they would communicate with the players would be vital.

Arsenal crashed out of the Carabao Cup in a loss to Brighton on Wednesday as Arteta rotated his squad. The Spaniard confessed that he is open to making more signings in January if he feels the need.