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What Ben White did straight after his England debut in 2021 has just become very interesting
Arsenal No.4 Ben White has got people talking after he asked not to be selected by Gareth Southgate for England.
Speaking after a squad announcement earlier on Thursday, the 53-year-old said: “We, John McDermott, had a call from Edu last week to say that Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads at this time.”
Now, a post from Ben White immediately after the Arsenal defender made his England debut in 2021 looks very interesting…
What Ben White did after his England debut
Well, after making his first appearance for England back in June 2021, White posted on Twitter: “Something you dream of as a kid. Loved every minute of it!!”
It remains quite a mystery as to why White’s stance on playing for the Three Lions has now changed.
The Arsenal star has also – presumably – given up the chance of playing at UEFA EURO 2024 this summer, with this round of international fixtures giving Southgate one final chance to assess his XI.
Southgate disputed that the 26-year-old’s reluctance to play for England is due to a clash with Steve Holland, which was the leading rumour after the man left the 2022 World Cup camp in Qatar early.
The England boss added: “The only other thing I would say is there is no issue between us at all, and also I should say there is never any issue with Steve Holland because that has sort of been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.”
Southgate also said that – after speaking to White – he felt there was a “reticence” coming from the Arsenal No.4 in regards to playing for England.
Clearly – for whatever reason – the man from Poole just has no desire to play for England right now, despite previously loving his experience with the Three Lions after his debut.
Good news for Arsenal
While some England fans might be upset with White – who just signed a new contract at Arsenal – for refusing an international call up, it is great news for the Gunners.
The defender has been immense for the Gunners this season, scoring goals while also providing four assists in 39 appearances as Arsenal push to win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
White has played a lot of football – only 12 of his 39 appearances have not lasted the entire 90 minutes – so Mikel Arteta may selfishly be delighted to see his No.4 get a rest during the international break.