Gary Neville has acknowledged that he was mistaken in his initial assessment of Arsenal’s Ben White. He has now drawn comparisons between White and two legendary Chelsea players.
Gary Neville acknowledges that Ben White has won him over, expressing his admiration for the Arsenal player’s performance as a right-back and drawing comparisons to Chelsea legends Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic.
Since joining Arsenal from Brighton in 2021, White has been exceptional for the Gunners. Initially, it was unexpected that he would excel as a right-back. At 26, White was primarily signed as a centre-back who could also play as a defensive midfielder. However, he has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most reliable full-backs.
Neville admits he had doubts about White during his early days at Arsenal. However, he now believes White has developed into an outstanding right-back, a position with which the former Manchester United defender is well-acquainted.
White’s versatility and consistent performances remind Neville of Azpilicueta and Ivanovic, who both excelled at right-back and centre-back for Chelsea. On Monday Night Football, Neville said, “I wasn’t sure about him, I’ll be honest. Is he half a right-back and 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 and Azpilicueta for Chelsea for many years in that position. He deserves to be in [my team of the season].”
Neville has been particularly impressed by Arsenal’s defensive line this season, also selecting centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba in his team of the season, alongside Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie to complete his back four.