England interim manager Lee Carsley reveals that Arsenal’s Ben White has asked to not be contacted regarding any future national team call-ups.
England interim head coach Lee Carsley has confirmed that he is still not planning to include Ben White in any future national team squads after the Arsenal defender asked to not be contacted, but he has suggested that the door is still open for him to return.
White has not donned the Three Lions jersey since the 2022 World Cup, where he was an unused substitute throughout the first portion of the tournament and then left the camp for personal reasons.
It was subsequently alleged that White’s decision to leave was sparked by a public falling-out with former assistant coach Steve Holland in front of the rest of the squad, something that Gareth Southgate strenuously denied.
Since the World Cup saga, the 26-year-old has continued to shine in the right-back position for Premier League title challengers Arsenal, but he remains out of the national team picture and was not called up to this month’s Nations League squad.
Speaking to journalists after Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over Finland at Wembley, Carsley delivered an update on White’s future with England, revealing that the versatile defender had asked to be kept out of consideration but stressing that he would be back in contention if he changes his mind.
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Carsley “not planning” to speak with White over England call-up
“I’m not planning to, no” Carsley replied when asked if he would speak with White about playing next month’s fixtures with Greece and Finland. “We spoke about this in the squad selection.
“Every player that is eligible to play for England is in with a chance. As far as I was aware he was asked to be not contacted, so if that changes then yeah, that will change. It’s important that we’ve got real competition all over the pitch. The more players we’ve got available to pick from the better it is.”
White was one of a few top-quality right-backs missing from England’s squad for September’s clashes with the Republic of Ireland and Finland, as Kyle Walker was not selected either, while Kieran Trippier has retired from England duty.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold – whose international career is yet to really take off – benefitted from the trio’s absences to start both matches, with the uncapped Tino Livramento playing second fiddle.
Alexander-Arnold shone in September’s double-header and provided an assist for Harry Kane in Tuesday’s victory over Finland, on what was the England captain’s 100th senior appearance for his country.
How did the White England saga unfold?
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Being called up to your first senior England squad is a dream come true for almost every Three Lions hopeful, and it was no different for White, who revealed that he cried for almost an hour when he was selected for Southgate’s provisional Euro 2020 squad.
Since his big-money switch from Brighton & Hove Albion to Arsenal, White has inevitably found himself in the spotlight on more occasions, and the 26-year-old has made headlines with his admission that he does not usually watch football at home.
Holland allegedly brought up White’s perceived lack of interest in football – outside of playing it – at the last World Cup in front of the whole squad, having asked the Arsenal man a question that he did not know the answer to after quizzing Walker on the same topic.
In the months that followed, White was nowhere to be seen in Southgate’s England squads, and the former Three Lions coach said in November 2023 that he “assumed” the Arsenal man was available for selection but was behind a couple of other defenders.
However, Southgate said a few months later that White had asked not to be selected, while also vehemently denying that a bust-up with Holland was the reason for his national team snub.
Following Southgate and Holland’s exits, reports claimed that the ex-Brighton man was considering an England U-turn, but he simply does not feel compelled to represent his country again.
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