Forgotten Arsenal star just showed Mikel Arteta he still has a future at the club

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With such a deep squad now at his disposal, Mikel Arteta is facing a challenge in keeping every Arsenal star happy.

The Gunners spent big over the summer, signing several new options to bolster every single area of the pitch.

The result of that is better quality in squad depth for Arsenal, which has seen an impressive run of form follow.

Mikel Arteta will be delighted with the start his team have made, while every player seems to be pushing the next to perform even better.

In Arsenal’s win over Brighton, there were several stars given an opportunity to impress, including one who hasn’t had an easy season or two.

Ben White proved he still has a future at Arsenal after Brighton display

One area where Arteta rang the changes against Brighton was in the defence, as the Arsenal boss called upon a whole new backline to play together.

Among those was Ben White, who has found it tough to gain consistent playing time in the past season or so.

Injuries have hampered the 28-year-old, with Jurrien Timber taking much of the spotlight in his absence with some impressive performances.

Given the size of the squad and the options available, there have been questions surrounding the future of White beyond this season.

However, the defender showed he still has plenty of quality during his display against his former club Brighton.

It was the versatile star’s fifth appearance of the season and his fourth start across all competitions so far.

During the match, White showed many of his best attributes once again, combining well with debutant Max Dowman on the right flank.

He took 58 touches in the match, with an 84% passing accuracy that included three completed long passes.

The ex-Brighton star showed plenty of his ball-carrying ability too, bursting out from defence to help kick-start the attack.

Given the performances of Timber, there have been times when fans have forgotten that White is still a key part of the team.

It’s not just offensively that he shone either, as he contributed heavily in the defensive phase of the game as well.

He completed 100% of his ground duels on the evening, while winning two out of the three aerial duels that were thrown his way.

While Timber may have that starting spot nailed down, don’t count out the impact of White in the future of this team.

Mikel Arteta has already made a promise to Ben White over Arsenal minutes

Given the imperious form of Timber in the backline, it has been tough to see exactly when White could get his moment to shine.

The Arsenal star has, however, been promised minutes by Mikel Arteta in a recent press conference.

When asked about the possibility of White getting into the England squad again, the manager said: “It’s still a lot of months to go and in football everything can change one way or the other and if Ben [White] wants to do that, if Thomas [Tuchel] believes he is the right player to do so, I’m so happy for him.

“He will have here, I’m sure, a lot of minutes, a lot of opportunities and obviously his background talks about himself in the best possible way to give him the chance to be there.

“He had a setback, and that hasn’t helped, but I think in preseason, probably, he was our best player.

“I think he played every game, and he was in great form, and we needed it because when Ben is at the level that he can show, he’s a top player for us, a player that drives the team in a different way, gives us a different threat on that flank as well, and we needed him at his best.”

The suggestion that minutes will come this season will be good news for White, who is looking to put his injury troubles behind him.

Now, with another positive performance under his belt, the defender will be looking to kick on and impress again.