“I cannot pick his call again”: Ben White revealed how Southgate and other England players mocked and frustrated him until he left the England World Cup camp in tears
England manager Gareth Southgate today made a surprising statement about Arsenal defender Ben White.
Arsenal right-back Ben White has not been included in the latest England squad.
Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka will spend the international break away from the Emirates Stadium, while White will remain in north London.
This in itself is not a big shock. After all, the four-time England international has not represented the Three Lions since leaving the England camp early during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. As ESPN reported at the time, “personal reasons” were cited as the reason for the player’s early departure from the tournament.
Since then, White has not had the opportunity to play at international level, but he remains a key figure for the Gunners. Today, White signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, a just reward for his impressive continuity.
The 26-year-old has been in great form in recent weeks. White has had to adapt to new tactical instructions as Mikel Arteta has asked him to work in a reverse position when Oleksandr Zinchenko is not on the opposite flank. He adapted to these new tasks without any problems.
White is also a favourite among Arsenal fans, as the Emirates Stadium faithful appreciate his fighting spirit, reliability and mastery of the ‘dark arts’. Arteta obviously has great faith in the former Brighton and Hove Albion player, although Gareth Southgate doesn’t seem to.
Gareth Southgate makes a statement about Arsenal star Ben White
The England manager said today that White has ruled himself out of an international squad. Southgate was reported by X’s Ben Jacobs as saying: “We had a conversation where Ben White said he didn’t want to be considered for England selection at the moment.”
“I spoke to him after Qatar and there was clearly a sense of restraint on his part. I don’t know why that is. But I have to respect that. The door is open one hundred per cent, but he is not available to us right now.”
“There is no issue between us or with Steve Hollande. It’s been mentioned in articles and I don’t like it.”
There were rumours that White had parted ways with coach Steve Holland in Qatar, which Southgate clearly denied here.
It may also be that the defender does not want to be recalled at this time for fitness reasons. White had to play with pain for a while at the start of the season and he may be worried that without rest during the international break he could aggravate an old injury.
However, it seems that only White knows why he doesn’t want to represent his country right now.
Let’s hope that some sort of solution will be found, because he is more than good enough to shine on the international stage if he wants to return to that level in the future.
