Arsenal: Return of Ben White leaves Mikel Arteta with selection dilemma he needs more of | OneFootball

Competition between White and Jurrien Timber is the kind Arteta could do with elsewhere in his squad

Fit again: Ben White is available for Arsenal after injury

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Injuries have made it rare for Mikel Arteta to have too many selection headaches this season, but the Arsenal manager is about to get a big one.

The return to fitness of Ben White is a major boost for the Gunners, however it also leaves Arteta with a dilemma.

Jurrien Timber has excelled at right-back in White’s absence and been one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers.

Prior to White undergoing knee surgery in November, he and Timber had started the last two games together.

Timber played at left-back and White on the opposite flank, with that set-up proving successful for Arsenal in the early part of this season.

Indeed, Timber and White started four of the opening five games as the team’s full-backs and Arsenal kept three clean sheets in that time, conceding only once.

The landscape has changed since then, though, and how Arteta integrates White back into the side will be intriguing.

Myles Lewis-Skelly has made his mark in that time and arguably established himself as Arsenal’s best left-back.

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s superb form could make Ben White’s return to the lineup more complicated

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Before White’s injury, the 18-year-old had started one game. Since then, Lewis-Skelly has started 12 matches, including eight of the last 10.

Left-back is where Arsenal have the most depth in the squad, given that seven players can play there, but it now feels like the opposite flank is the most competitive spot in the team.

Picking between Timber and White is an exceptionally close call, and it is hard to think of another area on the pitch where Arsenal have two players of that quality fighting for one position.

Arteta may opt to move Timber back to left-back, but the form of Lewis-Skelly and the return to fitness of Riccardo Calafiori makes that harder.

Both Timber and White can also fill in at right centre-back when needed, offering William Saliba the rare chance of a night off.

The reality is, though, that this is exactly the kind of selection dilemma Arteta needs as he continues to develop this Arsenal squad.

The Spaniard has spoken openly about his desire to compete for the biggest trophies and to do that Arsenal need depth.

A pivotal part of the Gunners’ run-in last season was when they faced Bayern Munich twice and Aston Villa in the space of nine days.

Arsenal failed to win any of those three games, crashing out of the Champions League and losing ground to Manchester City in the title race.

This is exactly the kind of selection dilemma Arteta needs as he continues to develop this Arsenal squad

Arteta will want to go deep in both competitions and, in Timber and White, he has two players that can be rotated.

Timber will expect to keep his place on Saturday, when Arsenal host West Ham, but he is surely due a rest soon. Of Arsenal’s last 27 games, Timber has started all but three of them.

White returned to the squad last week at Leicester, however he was an unused substitute in the 2-0 win. Arsenal want to carefully build up his minutes after nearly three months out and he will not be rushed back.

White, however, will be itching to make an impact. He is, by his own admission, an incredibly competitive character and Arteta has described him as someone who “trains like he’s playing the Champions League final”.

Arsenal and White have a long way to go to achieve their dream of playing in a Champions League final, but rotation like they now have at right-back can help it become a reality.