Arsenal defender Ben White has sung the praises of team-mate Takehiro Tomiyasu after his impressive start to life at the club, saying he is ‘the best right back’ I have ever played with’.

Tomiyasu joined the Gunners in a £17million deal from Bologna on deadline day last summer, and has quickly adjusted to his surroundings – putting in some assured displays in defence and helping the team overcome a difficult start to the season.

White – who plays alongside the Japan international – has been left in awe of his confident displays and said he was a huge asset to the team because of how ‘focused’ and ‘alert’ he is to keep out danger.

‘Tomi is amazing,’ he told DAZN Japan, via Metro. He’s the best right-back I’ve ever played with. He’s always focused. It’s an honour to play next to him.

‘Tomi does the simple things at a world-class level. He is very alert and he isn’t careless in games.

‘From the beginning he’s completely understood English and speaks as well as I do.’

Despite White’s high praise for Tomiyasu, there had been claims of animosity between the two after footage went viral of the centre-back repeatedly refusing to pass to him.

However, he pointed out that he was simply looking to play low-risk passes and prevent opposition players from pressing Arsenal’s right back.

‘If you aren’t familiar with football you might not understand but opponents target passes to the right-back when they press,’ he added.

‘If I play the ball to Tomi he will be targeted and he might be in a situation where he has no options.

‘It’s not that I don’t want to pass to Tomi but it is the best way to build up our play so that it leads to the final third.’

Tomiyasu had backed up White in December after the theories first emerged that the defender didn’t trust the new recruit, saying he would not pass out to the right back if he played centre-back either.

‘I play centre back too, and simple passes to the full-backs are actually the last option I consider,’ he said.

‘If the full-back is not under opposition pressure I will play the pass, but if the winger is right in front, you’ll end up caught by the press.

‘So Ben White is a good player who doesn’t play passes that put you under pressure.’