Southgate clarifies Arsenal defender White’s England future
Gareth Southgate, the England coach, has stated that Ben White has a promising future in English football and may even play as a center-back for his national team in the future.
However, during the World Cup in Qatar, the Arsenal defender faced mental health difficulties and had to leave the camp early, leading England to continue the tournament without him.
Despite his impressive performances as a right-back for the current league leaders Arsenal, Ben White was not included in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
The England manager clarified that the decision to leave out White was not due to his form or ability, but because he had many other strong options in the position, including Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, and Reece James, who were all selected.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Southgate said when asked if White had an England future. “We like him. We’re interested to see whether at some point he ends up back at centre-back as well, because he’s got some really good attributes within that.
“We think Walker and Trippier have been consistent for us and playing well with their clubs. Trippier has been one of the outstanding players in the league and has played a big part in Newcastle’s season.
“And Reece James is also a high-level player. So it’s a position we’re blessed with and Ben [White] also has a very good claim, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka is back close to the team at Manchester United so we have got a lot of depth in that particular position.
“So, at the moment, as I said, other guys are playing well at big clubs that are still in the Champions League as well or high in the league, so it is a hard call.”
Next week, the England team will travel to Naples to face Italy in their first match of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. After that, they will return to Wembley, where they will play against Ukraine.
Southgate clarifies Arsenal defender White’s England future
