Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
How Ben White felt about not playing at World Cup before leaving England squad
Ben White may not have played for England in well over a year, but the Arsenal star’s international future has certainly been at the centre of plenty of debate over the last few days.
Gareth Southgate confirmed that he had been informed that Ben White did not want to be considered for selection for this international break. And with that, it would now be a big surprise if the 26-year-old was involved in England’s squad at Euro 2024.
White has not worn the Three Lions since leaving the World Cup squad prematurely. noted that the defender was returning from Qatar due to personal reasons.
There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the decision, particularly as the former Brighton star has barely missed a minute for Arsenal over the last 18 months.
Ben White didn’t decide to leave England camp over game-time
According to a report from , White made the decision to return home in the days after Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland made a comment in front of his teammates.
By the time White’s departure was confirmed, England had completed the group-stages in Qatar. The Euro 2020 finalists finished top of their group after beating Iran and Wales, and drawing with the USMNT.
The Arsenal star had not actually played a single minute in the tournament before his departure. So some may have wondered whether frustration over his game-time may have played a part.
However, The Telegraph notes that his role in the squad was not a key reason why White wanted to return home.
Arsenal defender shouldn’t be criticised while many of the facts remain unknown
Much has been said about White not being particularly interested in football when he is away from London Colney. But that has certainly never come across when he is playing for Arsenal. An analytics company found that White would be well-suited to playing for the likes of Manchester City and Barcelona – which tells you something about his performances.
And with that, it seems extremely unfair to use his apparent lack of interest in the sport as a whole as a stick to beat him with.
In truth, we are probably never going to know for sure why exactly he left the England camp in 2022. Nor should we. And right now, there is probably a huge question mark – particularly for those on the outside – over whether he will ever represent his country again.
But clearly, in White’s mind, whatever happened was serious enough for one of the best defenders in the Premier League right now to take themselves out of contention with a major tournament just around the corner.