Ben White has not played for England since the 2022 World Cup but could be ready to return in the wake of Gareth Southgate's departure.
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White unavailable for England selection under SouthgateManager has now resigned after Euro 2024Arsenal defender contemplating a comebackWHAT HAPPENED?
White is considering ending his England exile after seeing Southgate and assistant Steve Holland step down from their roles after Euro 2024, according to the . The Arsenal star had made himself unavailable for selection, despite Southgate insisting the door was open for him to return, but is now thinking about the possibility of making an international comeback.
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White's decision to remove himself from duty stemmed from his difficulties in settling with the squad, after being called up but not playing at Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022, and a reported falling out with Holland on the training ground. White ended up leaving the England World Cup squad in Qatar early, with the Football Association saying his departure was for "personal reasons," and he has not featured for the Three Lions since.
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID
Southgate has insisted he had "no issue" with White and would have been happy to have him in his squad. He told reporters in March: "It's really for Ben now. As I've said, the door is open for us. That's clearly difficult ahead of the Euros, when [he’s] missed all of the qualifying campaign and you've got players that have played all the way through. But we have no idea of knowing who's going to be available in that area of the pitch. We’ve lost four to injury this camp. So, as I said, for me, it's open. I have absolutely no issue."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WHITE AND ENGLAND
England are currently searching for a replacement for Southgate and the identity of the next Three Lions boss may well have a big impact on whether White returns to the international fold. The defender is currently with the Arsenal squad for pre-season, with the Gunners in the United States to face Bournemouth, Manchester United and Liverpool. England's next fixtures are Nations League games in September against Ireland and Finland.