Martin Odegaard says £50m Arsenal player works harder than anyone else in training

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Martin Odegaard has made the surprise claim that Ben White is the hardest-working Arsenal player in training under Mikel Arteta.

The 28-year-old has been used rather sparingly by Mikel Arteta this season, but it’s clear that he remains a great influence around Arsenal’s training ground.

True or false: Arsenal are a better team when Ben White plays over Jurrien Timber…

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White has made just seven appearances in 2026 for the Gunners, with Jurrien Timber firmly ahead of him as the starting right-back this season.

But despite White being overlooked by Arteta, Odegaard has been raving about the defender and spoken about his attitude behind the scenes.

Martin Odegaard claims Ben White is Arsenal’s hardest-working player

Martin Odegaard has named Ben White as Arsenal’s hardest-working player during training sessions.

The Gunners’ captain claims that White is a ‘machine’ and has so many strong attributes which make him such a top player.

Odegaard told Arsenal: “Goated hard worker in training? I’m going to go for probably Ben White. Yeah, he always works so hard.

“He’s a machine, he can do anything, he is strong, he is fast, he can run for ages, and he’s always giving everything for the team.”

Back in 2023, Leandro Trossard laughed at White when he claimed that he enjoys training, but despite the running joke about the £50m defender disliking football, it’s clear that isn’t really the case.

Mikel Arteta must use Ben White more at Arsenal

Given Odegaard’s latest claim, it’s quite a surprise as to why Arteta does not use the defender more, especially with Timber looking shattered.

The Dutch defender has looked well off the pace over recent weeks, and it’s no shock to see that he has suffered an injury.

Fill the blanks, I would feel ______ if Tino Livramento replaced Ben White at Arsenal

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Timber missed Arsenal training on Monday due to an issue, but despite him being sidelined, Cristhian Mosquera looks set to be the man to replace him.

Mosquera is a huge talent; however, he is still young, and Arteta would be better off using his more experienced option in White.

White also has a good relationship with Bukayo Saka, who often plays his best football when he has a full-back overlapping him, which the English international loves to do.