Ben White has had a difficult 2025 at Arsenal so far, and things don’t appear to be picking up for him on the international front.
The defender spent a significant chunk of the 2024/25 campaign sidelined with a serious knee injury, and he subsequently lost his place as the Gunners’ starting right-back to Jurrien Timber.
Timber has produced consistently excellent displays in red and white, and White’s inability to remain fit means it’s difficult to foresee how he works his way back into the side.
On top of this misfortune at club level, the English full-back is said to be open to returning to the Three Lions fold, but Thomas Tuchel is yet to give him a call-up.
Ben White will be fuming with Thomas Tuchel’s latest England decision
Tuchel named his England squad for the national team’s upcoming matches against Wales and Latvia last week.
The ensemble consisted of Arsenal stars Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bukayo Saka, but there was no room for White.
White has looked rusty of late, and thus it was certainly reasonable for the German manager to ignore him for this specific set of international fixtures.
Instead, Reece James and Djed Spence were the two right-backs selected by Tuchel, while Marc Guehi, John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa and Jarrel Quansah were the centre-backs named in the squad.
James has now withdrawn from the camp due to injury, with Manchester City left-back Nico O’Reilly called upon to replace the Chelsea defender.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold injured, White may have hoped that he’d be next in line in Tuchel’s full-back pecking order.
The 27-year-old might be struggling with his fitness, but he’s still an excellent player who is more than capable of filling in at a high level against opposition of the calibre of Wales and Latvia.
Instead, Tuchel has opted to select a 20-year-old with minimal experience who operates on the opposite side of the pitch.
This decision may have frustrated White, who will feel that he is now a long way off having any involvement with the Three Lions at next summer’s World Cup.
Ben White should be focused on his Arsenal career for now
Regular minutes and impressive performances at Arsenal will naturally lead to chances for England for White.
Thus, the former Brighton man should be focused on rediscovering his fitness and then his best form at the Emirates, before being concerned with his international career.
Mikel Arteta showed with his team selection against Olympiacos that he’s willing to rotate his squad and give players like White opportunities in meaningful matches.
This, combined with the fact that Timber’s load still needs to be managed, means that there will be opportunities for White to impress, and he simply needs to make the most of them.
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