England boss Gareth Southgate insists the ‘door is open’ for Ben White but Arsenal defender must make first move if he wants to play at Euro 2024
- Ben White has not played for England since the 2022 World Cup
- Declan Rice said he will speak to the defender upon his return to Arsenal
- Ian Ladyman: Why I’m glad England lost to Brazil – Listen to the It all starts podcast
England boss Gareth Southgate insists the ‘door is open’ for Ben White, but the defender must make the first move if he wants to play in the 2024 European Championship this summer.
Midfielder Declan Rice said he will speak to White on his return to Arsenal, with England’s newest captain hoping his teammate will eventually agree to end his exile.
But Southgate said he would leave it to White as Arsenal had contacted the FA and insisted he did not want to be selected for this month’s friendlies.
England boss Southgate said: ‘It’s real for Ben now. Dec is clearly in a difficult situation. You ask him about a teammate and he will be careful what he says. Like I said, the door is open for us.
“That’s obviously difficult in the run-up to the European Championship, where you have players who have played the whole match, but we have no idea who will be available on that part of the pitch.
Ben White has not played for England since his early return from the 2022 World Cup
The Arsenal defender was pictured during the club’s first-team training on Tuesday
‘I respected the situation when Arsenal contacted us. So ultimately, I know the conversation I had with him last March. I thought I had to distance myself from it a bit. But I’ve always left the door open. I wanted to bring him to this camp.’
White is not part of the Three Lions squad after informing Southgate he does not want to be selected for his country.
“All I can say is it’s Ben’s life,” Rice said. “It’s Ben’s decision. We can’t argue with him about what he wants to do. Of course, there will always be people who write things and have opinions about what they think.
‘But at the end of the day all that matters is what he thinks and at the moment he obviously doesn’t want to play for England.’
White has not played for England since leaving their 2022 World Cup camp in Qatar due to ‘personal reasons’ amid reports he had a falling out with the Netherlands.
Reports have suggested that the rift was sparked by the Netherlands questioning White’s interest in football while they were in Qatar.
Southgate’s assistant is said to have asked Kyle Walker a question related to Manchester City’s performance in the previous season, before asking White the same question regarding Arsenal.
White reportedly said he did not know the answer, leading Holland to claim it was due to his lack of interest in football.
The conversation is said to have taken place in the presence of other members of the team.
Declan Rice plans to hold talks with Arsenal teammate White upon his return to the club
England boss Gareth Southgate insists the ‘door is open’ for White’s return
White has previously admitted that he was never a football fan when he was younger and that he rarely watches games to this day.
White headed to Dubai with his wife Milly Adams for a warm weather break, amid a debate over his decision to turn down the chance to play for Southgate’s side.
The 26-year-old was spotted back in Arsenal training on Tuesday as he steps up his preparations for the Gunners’ crucial clash with title rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
