Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has raved about Ben White and has suggested that the defender will not be dropped from the team now, as quoted in The London Evening Standard.
Arteta has said that White, signed from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer transfer window, can be extraordinary for Arsenal.
The Arsenal boss has said the 23-year-old England international will be asked questions in the Premier League, but he thinks that the central defender is ready to answer them.
Mikel Arteta’s verdict
Arteta said about White: “We bought him because we believe that he can be extraordinary and he doesn’t have that much experience in the league still.
“He has experience with Leeds, and the experience he had with Brighton for a year, so he is not mature in that sense.
“But he is already shown his qualities and what he can do and he has been selected for the national team, which is not a coincidence and the way he has adapted to us I think is impressive so the potential is there. Again it is how he can fulfil that and help him to do so.
“They [the fans] are really supportive. We have two really young central defenders, in general our backline is 22, 23, 23 and 24 years old – which is unusual – but they have the right maturity because they have different experiences. I think they complement each other really well.
“He [White] knows he will be asked questions and in this league for sure because it is one of the most demanding positions to play and at the moment he is doing it.
“He has to defend first and everything we have ask him to do defensively to do it, and that’s his biggest task.”
Growing in importance
White did not start the season strongly for Arsenal, but the former Leeds United loanee has grown in importance in recent weeks.
After last night’s draw with Brighton, Arteta once again praised White, as well as fellow defender Gabriel, saying that they were terrific.
It is clear that White and Gabriel are the two first-choice centre-backs at Arsenal.
Arsenal paid £50 million for White, and Arteta’s comments suggest that he will persevere with the English defender even if he has a bad game or two.
Arteta has a strong reputation as a coach, and Arsenal fans will hope that White improves and develops under him.
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