“His hamstring was shot to hell and he went out there and played” - Rob Holding hails Arsenal teammate as ‘mentality monster’ for playing through pain

Arsenal defender Rob Holding has lavished praise on teammate Ben White for his mental toughness. The 27-year-old centre-back recalled a match when his compatriot played through a severe hamstring injury.

The Gunners locked horns with Newcastle United during the 2021-22 campaign on May 7, 2022, at St.James' Park. During the encounter, White tore his hamstring but continued to play on in extreme pain.

Holding, to this date, has no clue how the England international managed to push through and stay on the pitch despite suffering an injury. The Arsenal centre-back said (via talkSPORT):

"The player who has real discomfort and injuries and just cracks on is Ben White. I don’t know how he does it. I have no idea how he does it."

"When we played Newcastle away in the Amazon year (2021/22 season), he would have had a grade two/grade three hamstring injury easily. His hamstring was shot to hell and he went out there and played."

Praising his teammate's mental fortitude, he added:

“He’s a mentality monster, I don’t know how he does it. It’s mental. He’ll be in so much pain but he’ll just trigger into game mode and play. He’s die hard. He’ll run through a brick wall for you.”

Despite earning high praise from his Arsenal teammate, White had a rather disappointing encounter against the Magpies. The England international conceded an own goal in the 55th minute of the second half, putting his rivals 1-0 up.

Bruno Guimaraes then scored for Newcastle in the 85th minute, securing all three points for the Magpies.

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"There is room for a lot of improvement there" - Rio Ferdinand says Man United duo is 'better' than Arsenal star

Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand believes Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are better right-backs than Ben White. The Englishman, while admitting the Arsenal defender might be better defensively than Dalot, insists that the Portuguese full-back is superior going forward.

Ferdinand said (as quoted by Metro):

"I thought Ben White was solid but that’s it. I think that’s the one area of their [Arsenal’s] team where you look and think there is a room for a lot of improvement there, if they are going to challenge for more."

He added:

"White may be better defensively, but I think going forward Dalot is better than him."

White has played an instrumental role in Mikel Arteta's side ever since his move from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021. The England international has proven beneficial to the Spanish manager both as a centre-back and a right-back, displaying his versatility on the pitch.

He has registered 86 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners, recording two goals and five assists. The former Brighton & Hove Albion man also played a crucial role in Arsenal's title push last season, featuring in every single one of their league encounters.