White Ruled Out For Season As World Cup Hopes Suffer

‎Ben White’s World Cup chances have been severely damaged after Arsenal confirmed he will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

‎He was forced off during the first half of the 1–0 win over West Ham.

‎White left the London Stadium wearing a knee brace. Arsenal stated that the 28-year-old has suffered a significant medial ligament injury.

‎He will therefore miss the final three matches, including the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on 30 May.

‎“Our medical team is now managing Ben’s recovery and rehabilitation programme. With everyone fully focused on supporting the aim of Ben being ready for the start of our pre-season preparations,” Arsenal said in a statement.

‎Impact on World Cup

‎Ben White was recalled to the England squad in March by Thomas Tuchel after a four-year absence.

‎He marked his return by scoring his first international goal in a draw against Uruguay. Four days later, he started in the match against Japan.

‎His current absence is a major setback for Mikel Arteta. Arsenal must face Burnley and Crystal Palace as they push for a first league title in 22 years.

‎They are also preparing for a crucial showdown with PSG in Budapest. White had started the past five games in place of Jurriën Timber, who has been sidelined with a groin injury since the win over Everton on 14 March.

‎Arteta, who moved Declan Rice to right-back against West Ham before bringing on Cristhian Mosquera at the expense of Martín Zubimendi to correct what he acknowledged was his mistake, said last week that Timber may not play again this season.

‎“There’s still a fair bit to do so everything has to be so smooth and quick. If they want to have a chance to play any minutes,” he said when asked about expected return dates for Timber.

‎Palace warming to fans

‎Crystal Palace has issued a warning to supporters that they could lose the chance to buy a season ticket or membership next season. If they attempt to sell their seats to Arsenal fans for the final-day match at Selhurst Park.

‎The club is tightening enforcement after recent crowd-related issues. During Arsenal’s win over West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday, several altercations broke out in the home sections.

‎Tensions escalated once Arsenal scored. Footage circulating online even showed a supporter being pushed down a staircase during the disorder.

‎“In a bid to prevent away fans from accessing the home sections. There will be several enhanced security measures in place for this match. Which includes the disabling of ticket sharing to limit the unauthorised sharing of tickets and touting,” Palace said.