Ben White: Arsenal defender undergoes minor surgical procedure on joint issue

Arsenal's Ben White has undergone a minor surgical procedure to resolve a joint issue he has been carrying.

The defender started Arsenal's last two games, against Chelsea and Inter, but was only fit enough to feature from the bench in Arsenal's previous fixture, the 1-0 loss to Newcastle on November 2.

Speaking before the game against Newcastle, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: "It's a little issue, so we have to protect him."

White also missed games against Leicester, Paris Saint-Germain and Southampton earlier this season, having only been used as a substitute in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City on September 22.

Arsenal are already without fellow defenders Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney due to injuries, while Jurrien Timber has only recently returned from a muscular issue.

The Gunners have also had to contend with injuries to Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino, while Declan Rice, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard have served suspensions for red cards.

Arteta said he was "praying" for an end to Arsenal's injury issues after a "nightmare eight weeks" in the wake of Sunday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea, which left them nine points behind leaders Liverpool.

There were further injury scares in that game, with Saka and Rice forced off in the second half and subsequently pulling out of international duty with England.

White's surgery comes ahead of a busy period for Arsenal. They return to action after the international break with a Premier League home game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday November 23.

They then face Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday November 26 before a trip to West Ham, live on Sky Sports on Saturday November 30, and a home game against Manchester United on Wednesday December 4.

Meanwhile, Arsenal executives are travelling to the United States this week to meet with the Kroenke family for talks focusing on the club's summer transfer plans.

Replacing Edu following his resignation as sporting director last week and the upcoming January transfer window are also expected to be on the agenda.

The November international break was viewed as an ideal moment for the club's decision-makers to get together and discuss plans as they move forward without Edu.

The former midfielder is serving a six-month period of gardening leave before taking a new job under Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Jason Ayto, assistant sporting director, is taking over Edu's responsibilities while the club look for a permanent successor.

Sat Nov 23: Nottingham Forest (h), Premier League, 3pm kick-off

Tue Nov 26: Sporting (a), Champions League, 8pm kick-off

Sat Nov 30: West Ham (a), Premier League, 5.30pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports

Wed Dec 4: Man Utd (h), Premier League, 8.15pm kick-off

Sun Dec 8: Fulham (a), Premier League, 2pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports

Wed Dec 11: Monaco (a), Champions League, 8pm kick-off