Arsenal have had a rather strong start to their latest season under Mikel Arteta as they currently find themselves top of the Premier League and through to the knockout stage of the Europa League.
One figure that has had an impressive campaign so far that we feel has done enough to be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar is Ben White.
Having made an appearance in all but one of Arsenal’s 15 games this season across the Premier League and Europa League, this highlights how important the defender is for Mikel Arteta.
In the 11 league games he’s played in, the 25-year-old has made more passes into the final third of the pitch (47) than any other Gunners player, one of which being the assist for Granit Xhaka’s goal against Southampton in the 1-1 draw on Sunday.
In terms of his defensive output, the Englishman has made more tackles in the defensive third of the pitch (11) than any of his teammates as well as making more blocks than any other player in Arteta’s squad (25).
White also has the second-highest number of interceptions (15) to his name at Arsenal as well as the third-highest number of clearances (22), further showcasing how much of a defensive unit he is.
Hailed as a “complete” player by Arteta, the £93k-per-week defender, we feel, has done enough to be in the squad to play in the upcoming World Cup.
Bearing in mind how White has played all his games this season as a right-back and the fact that Reece James could be in danger of missing the World Cup through injury, this could make the Gunners star a valid option for Southgate to put in the squad.
Moving forward, if the player continues his strong start to the season, by the time Southgate is ready to put his squad together, White should definitely be in the mix to help his country be successful in the upcoming tournament.
