Ben White Groin Injury Adds to Arsenal’s Right-Back Concerns

Arsenal are assessing Ben White after the defender was forced off at half-time with a groin problem in the win at Sunderland, adding fresh pressure to Mikel Arteta’s options at right-back.

What changed for Arsenal

White had begun the campaign strongly after returning from the knee injury that ruled him out of World Cup contention in May. He had also played through a knock sustained against Napoli in the Champions League, but his substitution at the Stadium of Light has created another fitness concern in a position with limited specialist cover.

Jurrien Timber came on for White on Wearside, making his first appearance of the season after recovering from a groin issue of his own. Timber was not included against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup in midweek, while White was omitted entirely. Martin Zubimendi filled in at right-back for that cup victory.

Arteta has confirmed there was no new problem for Timber, whose first Arsenal season had previously been cut short by an ACL injury. Arsenal have Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Myles Lewis-Skelly among their left-sided defensive options, but the workload on the right remains a key concern.

Competition context

Right-backs are regularly asked to combine overlapping attacks with recovery runs and repeated high-speed sprints, making the position particularly demanding across league and European schedules. Stephen Smith, an injury-performance analyst at Kitman Labs, said the challenge is not simply distance covered but the repeated explosive running required down one flank.

Smith also warned that even a relatively minor groin or adductor strain generally requires one to two weeks of carefully managed work before a player can return to full training intensity.

• White is being monitored after leaving the Sunderland match at the interval.
• Timber has returned from his groin problem but is still being managed after a long ACL recovery.
• Arsenal must balance availability and rotation as their title challenge continues.

With White and Timber both needing close management, Arteta’s handling of minutes could be important to maintaining defensive stability through the next phase of the season.

What is scheduled next

Arsenal face Brighton on Saturday afternoon, when White could yet be in contention against his former club. The match is followed by a three-week international break, which would give the club a longer period to restore White and continue building Timber’s match fitness.

That interval offers Arsenal time on the training ground to bring both players back towards full speed before the domestic and European programme resumes.