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‘I think it’s massive’… BBC pundit says he cannot believe what £50m Arsenal player has now done
Shay Given has admitted that he cannot understand why Ben White has decided to not play for England, with the Arsenal star not wanting to be considered for selection by Gareth Southgate.
Ben White remains one of the most intriguing Premier League players around today. Some appear to be absolutely fascinated by the fact that he does not particularly care for football when he is away from Arsenal.
White has been phenomenal for Arsenal, particularly this season. And yet, he will not feature for England during this international break after deciding that he did not want to be considered by Gareth Southgate.
Ben White not willing to be considered for England duty
White left the World Cup in 2022 due to personal reasons. And he has not represented his country since, which seems amazing considering that he is one of the best full-backs in the division right now.
There do not appear to have been many occasions when players have turned down the chance to play for England.
And with that, Shay Given was asked on whether it is a big deal for a player to turn down the chance to play for their country.
“Yeah, massive. I think it’s massive. I think it’s the biggest honour you can have to get picked to play for your country. Growing up as a kid in Ireland, they were my heroes, the Irish team under Jack Charlton, just amazing. For me then, to play for Ireland was just ‘wow’. All my dreams came true. And you pull on the Irish jersey, and it’s just ‘wow, amazing’,” he said.
“There’s no prouder moment than to pull on that shirt. That honour is so special.
“And I go back to the Ben White interview I’d seen in the last couple of days, you could tell it was genuine. He goes, ‘I’m so proud. My family are so proud I’ve been called up to England’. So now there’s clearly something that’s happened or clearly an issue. Because there’s no reason you’d step away from that.”
Arsenal defender is allowed to snub international football
Of course, playing for your country is the pinnacle for so many players. It is what so many kids dream of. And there will be celebrations across the country if England go on and win Euro 2024.
But fans need to also accept that it is not the pinnacle for every single player. What you cannot question is that White gives absolutely everything for Arsenal. And the man has developed into an outstanding defender at both centre-back and right-back.
If he decides that he does not want to play for England, fair play to him.