So far this season, Arsenal have been the outstanding side in the Premier League, with the impressive performances of Ben White a major reason for their strong form.
The £93,000-a-week man has started all six Premier League games so far this term, performing confidently in an unfamiliar right-back role following the return of William Saliba.
It speaks volumes that Arsenal have won five of those six games.
However, White’s efforts for the Gunners clearly haven’t been enough to impress one man.
What’s the story?
Well, Gareth Southgate named his England squad for the upcoming friendlies against Italy and Germany earlier, but there was no room for the Arsenal No.4 in his selection.
In our view, that decision should anger White, as he has been superb.
To make matters worse for the £50m man, the likes of Conor Coady – who is yet to taste victory for Everton so far this season – have been included, as well as Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw.
Erik ten Hag has dropped the pair for Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia respectively at Manchester United.
Arsenal could benefit from Ben White decision
In some ways, this could actually benefit Mikel Arteta.
For a start, it means White will not be at risk of picking up any injuries during those clashes against Italy and Germany, although we think his exclusion will benefit Arsenal from a mental aspect more than anything physically.
The World Cup in November is fast approaching, and the 24-year-old will surely be desperate to earn a spot on the plane to Qatar.
Therefore, we could see White’s performances for Arsenal get even better between now and the tournament, as he strives to prove Southgate wrong.
Hopefully, that turns out to be the case, instead of his bizarre exclusion putting a dent in his confidence – only time will tell how the snub affects White.
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