HE is the £50 million man whose first goal for Arsenal proved crucial in today’s comeback against Bournemouth.

And, having had so many suitors, Ben White is probably not regretting turn down a host of other clubs to join the Gunners and Mikel Arteta’s project at the Emirates Stadium.

But he revealed today that it was once hard work trying to break into the team at his previous club, Brighton and Hove Albion, and he looked up to one of their central defenders for inspiration.

That man? ‘Dunky’ – Lewis Dunk, to those of us who do not know him personally – and back then White was desperate to be as good as him.

White told the matchday magazine today (Saturday): “They were in the Championship then but I was still very far off that level when I arrived. Dunky took me under his wing and when I started at Brighton my goal was to play alongside him.

“He was there from a young age as well – he was just a normal guy, English as well, down to earth, same position and we got on well. It was a case of watching what he did every day. He was an example for me to follow. He was an example to look up to and seeing him in training every day, I knew I needed to be at that level.”

White was part of the England squad that went to Qatar for the World Cup and has been part of the players who have given the Gunners a more solid base to launch a hunt for trophy.

But he has been teased for a past interview in which he didn’t watch football during his free time because he was too busy with other things.

In his interview with the matchday magazine,. however, he said he was in love with the game

“There’s much worse jobs you could be doing,” he said. “There’s not really anything about the job that’s not always enjoyable so I’ve always kept my love for it.”