Gary Neville admits he was wrong about Arsenal star Ben White and compares him to two Chelsea legends

Posted by

Boss on May 14

Ben White has had another impressive season for Arsenal (Picture: Getty Images)

says has won him over, now thoroughly impressed by him as a right-back as he compares the star to Chelsea legends Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic.

White has been fantastic for the Gunners since arriving from in 2021, although it was not entirely expected that he would go on to shine as a right-back.

The 26-year-old was signed chiefly as a centre-back, who had also filled in at the base of midfield, but he has gone on to become one of the most consistent full-backs in the Premier League.

Neville admits he was far from convinced about him in his early days with Arsenal, but thinks White has turned into a brilliant right-back, which the Manchester United hero knows a thing or two about.

White reminds the Sky Sports pundit of both Azpilicueta and Ivanovic, who both played at right-back and in central defence very successfully for Chelsea.

‘I wasn’t sure about him, I’ll be honest,’ Neville said of White on Monday Night Football. ‘Is he half a right-back & half a centre-back? That was my view, I wasn’t sure what he was.

‘He’s developed into a really, really good right-back. I think of him now in the same quality this season, as Ivanovic & Azpilicueta for for many years in that position. He deserves to be in [my team of the season].’

Branislav Ivanovic (left) and Cesar Azpilicueta (right) enjoyed a lot of success at Chelsea (Picture: Getty Images)

Neville has been very impressed by Arsenal’s defensive line this season, also including centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba in his team of the season, with Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie completing his back four.

Jamie Carragher feels that Saliba and Gabriel can go on to become one of the great centre-back partnerships in Premier League history if they stay together for years to come.

‘If Saliba and Gabriel stay together for the next three or four years, we’re talking about them alongside [Rio] Ferdinand and [Nemanja] Vidic, [Ricardo] Carvalho and [John] Terry,’ said the Liverpool hero.