Meeting Ben White in flesh was too much for one Arsenal fan to handle as he burst into tears of joy while getting his shirt signed. The Gunners are making the most of their chance to meet overseas supporters during their pre-season tour of the USA.
On their latest stop, in Philadelphia, a supporter handed over to White an Arsenal away strip from the 2021/22 season with Bukayo Saka's name and number on the back. Video footage captured the man in tears during the surreal encounter.
"I love you, Ben," he said, wiping his eyes. As White, who remained largely silent, handed the signed shirt back and shook his hand, the fan said: "Thank you so much. Have a good one."
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Pre-season friendlies with Bournemouth and Manchester United in Los Angeles gave Arsenal the chance to reconnect with their Californian supporters. Mikel Arteta's side beat the Cherries on penalties before a 2-1 comeback win over United.
The Gunners will bid to continue their 100 per cent record this pre-season with a match against Liverpool in Philadelphia, which UK-based fans can tune into at 00:30 (BST) in the early hours of Thursday morning.
"Another great test," said Arteta while preparing his players to take on the Reds. "Moving to a different city, jet lag, we have to adapt to that. Different pitch, different stadium, different weather conditions.
An Arsenal fan brought to tears upon meeting Ben White on the club’s pre-season in the USA. ❤️????????????
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 30, 2024
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"All great and obviously against a team with a new manager that I really like, especially the way he plays, so it is going to be very tough. A really good test for us again."
White appeared in all bar one of Arsenal's Premier League games last season, notching eight goal contributions from right-back as the north Londoners narrowly lost out to Manchester City in the title race.
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Having made himself unavailable to England manager Gareth Southgate, White had the opportunity to rest and recuperate during the summer while many of his countrymen grafted to the final of Euro 2024.
The 26-year-old will be joined in defence by new signing Riccardo Calafiori this coming season, with the Italian expected to slot in on the left side of defence. On whether he could make his non-competitive debut against Liverpool, Arteta said: "Let’s see how he is, we don’t want to rush anything. If he’s available and fit, great."
