Arsenal star Ben White has received an olive branch from new England manager Thomas Tuchel. White, who has earned four caps in his international career so far, has had a tumultuous journey with the national team.
Previously, White had a disagreement with Gareth Southgate’s coaching staff, leading him to make himself unavailable for selection. Southgate addressed the situation at the time, explaining:
“Clearly on form, I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t deserve to be here. [FA technical director] John McDermott had a call from [Arsenal sporting director] Edu last night saying Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads.
“It’s a great shame, he’s a player I really like, a player we took to the Euros, a player I took to the World Cup. I spoke to him post-Qatar because I was keen to pick him, there was clearly reticence on his side. I don’t know fully why that is, but I have to respect that. I want to leave the door open to him, he’s a good player, a player who can make a difference for England, but he’s not available to us.”
With Gareth Southgate stepping down and former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel taking charge, there has been significant speculation about Ben White’s future with the England team. Addressing the matter, the new Three Lions manager has assured that the defender will have the chance to represent his country, should he choose to return.
“I will reach out to him,” Tuchel confirmed. “It should be clean and a clean start and a clear narrative,” he continued. “It starts from January. I will be in the stadiums from January.
“I will also not distract the players and they should just know, ‘OK, the boss is there from January’. Then I will of course try to speak to them, but also be respectful to the schedule that they have, because schedule is busy in January, especially in the Premier League.“
White is unlikely to feature in the upcoming international break in March as he is currently recovering from a knee operation. While he is expected to return in early spring, it seems unlikely that he would risk playing international football so soon after his recovery—assuming he is fit by then.
