Thomas Tuchel reveals the two reasons why he has not called up Arsenal star Ben White to the England squad

Add as preferred source on Google

Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad for the June international fixtures, with three Arsenal players making the cut.

Myles Lewis-Skelly earned his first international call-up back in March, and the youngster has been rewarded for his excellent form again with another call-up.

Declan Rice was also included on the latest Three Lions roster, while Bukayo Saka has found himself in his first Tuchel ensemble after missing the last one through injury.

However, there was no space in the squad for either Ben White or Ethan Nwaneri, with the latter set to enjoy an extended summer break and the former to play for the under-21s.

The European nation takes on Andorra in a World Cup qualifier on June 7th, before hosting Senegal in a friendly a few days later.

• READ MORE: What Viktor Gyokeres has privately told his agents to ‘inform’ Arsenal and other clubs who want to sign him

Thomas Tuchel explains why he didn’t select Ben White for England

Tuchel didn’t include White in his last England squad as he wanted the versatile defender to continue building his fitness back up following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The German has cited similar reasons for the 27-year-old’s omission this time around.

Speaking to the media after announcing his squad, the former Chelsea boss also revealed that White is expecting a baby during the next England camp.

“He made very strong progress,” the tactician said.

“We had a talk and we decided that at the moment this is not the moment – because he will become a father very soon. The baby is due during the camp.

“We wish him all the best for that.”

Tuchel added that White is still trying to return to full fitness, and that this was also a contributing factor to his exclusion.

White hasn’t played for England since being banished from the Three Lions’ World Cup squad in 2022, but Tuchel is insistent that the player is ‘100% ready’ to be called up in the future.

Ben White should start at right-back or centre-back for England

While there is significant competition at right-back for England, Tuchel should still be contemplating starting White in that role going into the future.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is an excellent player in his own right, but the Three Lions don’t have the quality of centre-backs that Liverpool have to cover for his defensive deficiencies.

White doesn’t need this protection, while Reece James is too injury prone, Kyle Walker is past his best and Tino Livramento is still inexperienced.

Saka is at his best when he has White overlapping him, and Tuchel should look to replicate this partnership on the international stage.

If the German wants to use Alexander-Arnold, then the void of quality at centre-back means he should simply use White in that role instead.

Regardless of where he’s deployed, White wants to play for England again and he should be a big part of the plans moving forward.