Arsenal defender Ben White is keen to play for England again after holding talks with Thomas Tuchel, despite him missing out on the latest squad.
White was absent from the group named for World Cup qualifying matches against Andorra and Serbia next month but is likely to have been in contention had he not sustained an injury which could rule him out against Liverpool on Sunday.
The right back entered self-imposed exile from international football after leaving the Three Lions camp for ‘personal reasons’ during the 2022 World Cup. He is reported to have taken exception to a bust-up with Gareth Southgate’s No 2, Steve Holland.
Tuchel, who officially replaced Southgate on January 1, said in December that he would reach out to White. In March, he then revealed the 27-year-old ‘would love’ to return to the fold, although he was not picked for fixtures against Latvia and Albania.
White himself confirmed in May that he had made himself available to Tuchel, saying: ‘I’m definitely available. I spoke to him a few times.
‘He’s such a nice, nice man – very honest. I haven’t been back for too long.
Ben White is keen to return to international duty for England after his self-imposed exile
White removed himself from contention under Gareth Southgate due to ‘personal reasons’
Tuchel held talks with the defender shortly after replacing Gareth Southgate
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‘So it’s just about playing now and hopefully making my way back in.’
White has four caps for the Three Lions, with his last appearance in March 2022.
His decision to refuse to play under Southgate led to heavy criticism. Indeed, former England captain Stuart Pearce was particularly scathing in his assessment, claiming that if players let you down once ‘they will always let you down’.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, however, leaped to White’s defence, saying he was ‘brave’ to remove himself from contention after ‘struggling’ with the national side. He also strongly disputed that the player did not care about representing his country.
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‘It certainly wasn’t about that,’ Arteta said. ‘It was about being the opposite, just facing the situation and saying: “I cannot handle it now, and I am not the best person to represent the country the way I feel right now.”
‘For me, it was completely the opposite. I think not a lot of people would do it.
‘What a lot of people would do is hide in that context, in that environment, and let time go and nobody talks about it. What he did in my opinion was very brave.
‘Not a lot of people would have done it.’