Arsenal star Ben White has been subjected to criticism after comments made by England manager Gareth Southgate this week.
Southgate revealed that Edu Gaspar had notified the England National Team that White did not want to be considered for selection, despite his recent good form.
White left the England squad during the World Cup in Qatar last year, amid rumours of a fallout with Southgate and staff member Steve Holland.
Southgate claimed that this was not the reason why White had not been selected since, but it is clear that there is something behind the scenes fuelling his desire to reject the chance to play for his country.
What happened between Ben White and Steve Holland during the World Cup?
The Athletic have now revealed that White’s struggles during the World Cup came as a result of his lack of playing time, as well as difficulty settling into the camp.
“The truth is that White had found it difficult being out of the side, not even necessarily the second-choice for his position, and struggling to settle a long way from home,” the report claimed.
“There was a row with Steve Holland, England’s assistant manager, when White was on the receiving end of a verbal dressing-down from Southgate’s right-hand man.
“But White was already finding it difficult to conform to life, in the vernacular of international football, as a “good traveller”. That, in short, is exactly why Holland turned his anger on him.”
Ben White was treated unfairly during England duty
White’s lack of playing time, even as a substitute, was somewhat surprising given his good form for Arsenal at the time, as well as his versatility.
The likes of Conor Coady and Eric Dier were selected ahead of him despite the Arsenal star delivering more consistent and impressive performances at the top of the Premier League going into the tournament.
White has previously admitted that he does not follow football as a fan, but has been described as a model professional by his teammates and coaches at club level. For Holland to call him out in front of the other squad, is reflective of poor man management within the England setup, which White will not have had to deal with under Mikel Arteta or Marcelo Bielsa in the past.
Southgate has treated White as a scapegoat, and it now appears that whilst he is England manager, White will not feature for his National Team at all.
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