Arsenal star Ben White has requested not to be considered for England (Picture: Getty)
Gareth Southgate stunned England supporters as he named his squad for the side’s Euro 2024 warm-up friendlies with Brazil and Belgium as he revealed that Ben White had asked not to be considered for selection.
White is enjoying another stellar season with Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Gunners sitting top of the Premier League table and progressing through to the Champions League quarter-finals after a nerve-shredding penalty shootout win over Porto.
The versatile Arsenal defender has not been picked for the Three Lions since leaving the Qatar World Cup back in 2022, when reports of a training ground bust-up with England’s assistant manager Steve Holland hit the headlines.
White’s ability to fill in at both centre-back and right-back could prove invaluable for an international manager heading into a major tournament but the 26-year-old’s continued omission has allowed rumour and gossip to thrive.
At his press conference this afternoon, Southgate looked to put an end to the speculation as he explained that the former Brighton man had asked not to be included in England’s plans for the time being, through Arsenal’s sporting director Edu.
‘Look, it’s absolutely the question you should ask because clearly on form I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t deserve to be in,’ Southgate told reporters.
‘We, [FA technical director] John McDermott, had a call from Edu last week to say that Ben did not want to be considered for the England squad at this time.
White made his England debut in 2021 and has been capped four times (Picture: Getty)
‘For me that’s a great shame. He’s a player that I really like. He’s a player that we took to a Euros when he was at Brighton, a player that we took to the World Cup.
‘I spoke to him post-Qatar because I was keen to pick him and there was clearly reticence from his side.
‘I don’t know fully why that is, but I have to respect that.’
White’s ‘reticence’ to be selected – as Southgate describes it – is a far cry delight the ‘speechless’ defender felt when he was named as a surprise inclusion in England’s squad for the side’s Euro 2020 campaign.
‘It’s mind-blowing really. I didn’t really expect any of this to happen,’ White said after he made the cut for England’s final 26-man party back in 2021.
‘Even the first bit, being in the 33-man squad, was enough for me and to make it to the final squad was unbelievable.’
Southgate is unsure why White has made himself unavailable (Picture: Getty)
Quizzed on his reaction to receiving the phone call from Southgate, White replied: ‘I don’t think it can be bad news when the gaffer is ringing you.
‘I got a call from someone at Brighton who was telling me that he [Southgate] was going to call me and I was just waiting for the call.
‘I don’t think I’ve let it settle in yet. It’s something that I’ve never felt before. It’s obviously very different.
‘News like that is something that doesn’t normally come around so I was just speechless really and obviously I felt amazing.’
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It remains to be seen whether White will make himself available again in time for England’s European Championships campaign, but the defender’s relationship with Southgate appears somewhat strained as it stands.
Uncapped trio Jarrad Branthwaite, Ezri Konsa and Anthony Gordan could all be in line to make their debuts in this month’s double-header, while midfielder Kalvin Phillips misses out after an underwhelming start to his West Ham career since departing Manchester City.
There had been question marks over Jordan Henderson’s inclusion, but the former Liverpool captain has been selected and would win his 82nd cap should he be given the nod against Brazil on March 23.
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