Arsenal defender Ben White has identified his toughest opponent in the Premier League, naming Manchester United's Marcus Rashford as the one who challenges him the most.
I would probably still pick Marcus Rashford; I think he is the hardest opponent I've faced.
This is high praise for Rashford, who returned to United this summer after a year-long loan at Barcelona, re-establishing himself as a crucial part of Michael Carrick's squad.
White, now in his sixth season with Arsenal following a £50 million move from Brighton, has become a regular starter whilst Jurrien Timber recovers from injury.
Furthermore, White and several of his peers have also expressed admiration for his fellow defender Riccardo Calafiori. Aston Villa captain John McGinn recently admitted that Calafiori has been a real revelation:
You know who has really surprised me? Calafiori. He and Luke Shaw would be my two toughest opponents.
Luke Shaw, because I had to completely adapt my game to match up with him. We're similar in stature, so I had to really adjust to his style.
Calafiori turned out to be much stronger than I thought; I was genuinely impressed by him.
White concurred with McGinn’s assessment, backing his teammate up:
He can really do everything, so it’s very tough to counteract all that he does.
If one thing isn't working for him, he's got other tools in his arsenal to find success, so he’s really difficult to stop.
