England manager Gareth Southgate has today made a surprise statement about Arsenal defender Ben White.
Arsenal right-back Ben White has not been included in the latest England squad.
Whilst Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka will all be spending the international break away from the Emirates Stadium, White will remain in north London.
This, in and of itself, is not a huge shock. After all, the four-cap England international has not represented the Three Lions since he left the England camp early during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. As reported by ESPN at the time, “personal reasons” were cited as the cause for the player’s premature exit from the tournament.
Since then, though, White has not had a look-in at international level, despite remaining a key figure for the Gunners. Earlier today, White signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, which comes as a just reward for his impressive consistency.
The 26-year-old has been in fantastic form in recent weeks. White has had to adapt to new tactical instructions, as Mikel Arteta has asked him to operate in an inverted fashion, in the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko on the opposite flank. He has adjusted to these new responsibilities seamlessly.
White is also a fan-favourite at Arsenal, as the Emirates Stadium faithful appreciate his battling nature, reliability, and mastery of the ‘dark arts’. Arteta clearly has huge faith in the former Brighton and Hove Albion man, even if it seems Gareth Southgate does not.
Gareth Southgate makes statement about Arsenal star Ben White
However, the England boss today stated that White has taken himself out of contention for an international call up. As quoted by journalist Ben Jacobs, reporting on X, Southgate said, “we had a call saying Ben White didn’t want to be considered for England selection at this time.”
“I spoke to him post-Qatar and there was clearly reticence on his side. I don’t know why that is. But I have to respect that. The door is 100% open, but he’s currently not available to us.”
“There is no issue between us, or with Steve Holland. That’s been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.”
There have been rumours that White fell out with coach Steve Holland in Qatar, which Southgate has clearly refuted here.
It could also be that the defender does not want to be called up at this time due to fitness reasons. White had to play through pain for some time earlier this season, and he may be concerned that without a rest over the international break he may aggravate an old injury.
It seems, though, that only White really knows why he doesn’t want to represent his country at this time.
Hopefully, some sort of resolution will be found eventually, as he is more than good enough to shine on the international stage should he wish to return to that level in the future.
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