Gary Neville has expressed his concerns over Arsenal defender Ben White, suggesting that the player’s “weak” challenge in a recent match could have led to a serious injury. The incident occurred during a crucial game against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday, where White went down in pain after a collision with Crysencio Summerville.
The 28-year-old, who had recently regained his place in the team following a challenging season, appeared visibly distressed and was soon assisted off the pitch by one of Arsenal’s medical staff. Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, provided limited details about White’s condition, stating that the player is currently a doubt for the club’s remaining Premier League fixtures and the upcoming Champions League final.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know for sure, but he doesn’t look good at all,” Arteta said. “He needs further testing tomorrow, and I’ll have more information then.”
If the injury proves to be severe, it could potentially rule White out of this summer’s World Cup, just weeks after being recalled by England under Thomas Tuchel. Neville, while hoping for the best, pointed out that White may have contributed to the situation with his “pretty weak” challenge.
Speaking on Sky Sports commentary following the incident, Neville emphasized the importance of a strong defensive approach. He said: “Ben White just hangs his leg there. It’s poor from the right-back. He’s up against Summerville; he’s got to be stronger than that. He’s hurt himself there. That’s easily prevented if you go in strong and with a real sturdy block. He’s hung his leg out in pretty weak fashion, you’re asking for trouble.”
Neville also shared a personal anecdote, revealing that he had suffered a similar injury during his time at Manchester United. “Ben White hangs his leg out and I’ve actually done what he did,” he explained on The Gary Neville podcast. “I did it in training, I went out for a drink on the Saturday night, which I never did but we didn’t have a game for ten days. I actually did my medial ligament in training on the Monday morning. I went in for a challenge like how Ben White did. If you go in for a tackle and just hang your leg out away from your body like that, you will get that rock of your knee.”
He added: “You have to go in strong and really block with power because if you just hang your leg out you’ve got a good chance of doing your medial ligament. Ben White will regret that because that could see him out of the World Cup. We don’t know, we haven’t got the diagnosis yet, but they can be four to six-week injuries which would obviously be a big problem for Ben White in terms of the World Cup and the Champions League final. Let’s hope it’s not that bad, but that type of injury comes from that challenge.”
Despite White’s injury, Arsenal managed to secure a dramatic 1-0 victory over West Ham, moving closer to clinching the Premier League title. Leandro Trossard’s late goal broke the deadlock, while West Ham had an injury-time equaliser ruled out following a VAR check.
Arsenal now hold a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, while West Ham’s defeat pushed them further into the relegation zone.
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