Gareth Southgate has revealed that Ben White is refusing to play for England.
The England manager on Thursday named a 25-man squad for upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, with Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon selected for the first time, while Ivan Toney was called up following his eight-year suspension. months for violating betting rules.
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But despite injuries to several defenders, including Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Marc Guehi, White was not included despite excelling in an Arsenal side that leads the Premier League and reached the quarter-finals. of the Champions League.
White was selected for the 2022 World Cup but left camp early citing “personal reasons” amid reports of a training ground dispute with Southgate's assistant Steve Holland.
The 26-year-old has not been included in a squad since the World Cup in Qatar and when asked if he was now available, Southgate said: “Look, it's absolutely the question you should ask because clearly, if I'm fit, I can.” . I don't sit here and say he doesn't deserve to be there.
“Us, [FA technical director] John McDermott, received a call from [Arsenal technical director] Edu last week to say that Ben did not want to be considered for the England teams at the moment.
“For me, it's a big shame. He's a player I really like. He's a player we took to the European Championship when he was at Brighton, a player we took to the World Cup.
“I spoke to him after Qatar because I really wanted to pick him and there was clearly reluctance on his part. I don't entirely know why, but I have to respect that.
“I want to leave the door open for him because he is a good player. I think he is a player who can make a difference for England.
“But he's not available to us, so the only other thing I would say is that there's no problem between us, and there's no problem with Steve Holland because that's been mentioned in articles and I don't like it.”
“People can talk about me and I have to accept that false things are said about me and, for whatever reason, in this position, you almost have to endure it. But I am not prepared for that to happen to a key member of my family” . coaching team because that is not the reason Ben is not available for selection.
“He would be on this team. But he is not available for us, so I have to focus on those who can help us.”
Since making the step from under-21 manager to England head coach in 2016, Southgate has worked hard to reshape the culture around the set-up and players often highlight how the 53-year-old has created a positive environment after from years of negativity. .
But Southgate said: “I have to respect him [Ben’s decision]. He is not the first player who at certain times has not wanted to be available for the national team.
“So I've always tried to protect those players because I always want the door to be left open, although many of those times I'm the one who gets hit in the neck for not choosing them and people don't know why.
“But sometimes, as a leader, you have to take criticism from others and give them time to move on. Sometimes we have had young players who have not felt comfortable leaving England, when I was with the under-21s and then A As they get older, they become more comfortable with it.
“So there can be all kinds of reasons for that. Like I said, I think we have to respect that. Again, he's clearly playing well and has been for a long time, but he's not available.
“On the first team I picked, a player called me and said 'thanks, but no thanks'. You just have to move on. That's the reality of the job. There are a lot of things out of your control and you can't always share the details of those things, but that's how it has to be.
Southgate insisted White could still be selected for Euro 2024 but admitted it wouldn't be easy.
“Clearly, getting there now for June will be difficult. Others will have been in the team and played regularly, so whenever you have a situation like that, you always have to evaluate those who have been along the way until the end. We have done that to over the years in several different situations.
Southgate made the surprise move of sacking Kalvin Phillips, a player he had been loyal to during a difficult spell outside the Manchester City team.
Phillips left City to join West Ham on loan in January in a bid to revive their fortunes, but has had a difficult start to life in east London, including a red card against Nottingham Forest last month.
“I think he knows exactly what we think of him,” Southgate said of Phillips, who last missed a team in September 2022 when he retired due to injury.
“I think we have shown that support. A good version of him is an important player for us. That is why we have supported him the way we have.
“We don't have many players of that profile. Unfortunately, his form hasn't been good enough. I've spoken to him about that, he understands it. He has all the attributes to force his return and we're really looking forward to him doing that.
“But I said towards the end of last year, when we were choosing the team, that if he continued not playing for City it was going to be a problem. He just needs to find that rhythm and confidence because there is an exceptional player there. I'm sure he will find it.” .
There was also a withdrawal of Liverpool defender Joe Gomez, while Manchester United pair Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford kept their places.
England squad
Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forward: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United) Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney ( Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
