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Ben White's journey to Arsenal, England included enduring pregame curries and half-time fistfights

Less than five years ago, Ben White was so far removed from top-level football that his typical matchday experience involved a pregame curry and a half-time fistfight.

In August 2017, White was sent on a season-long loan to League Two side Newport County by parent club Brighton & Hove Albion, with the aim of toughening up a young defender by introducing him to the rough-and-tumble nature of lower league competition. That's exactly what he got.

"It was one of the best years of my life," said White. "I'd gone from playing in an academy where everything is nice and you have everything you want, and then you go there and everything is completely different.