Given his composure at the back against Romania on Sunday afternoon it’s hard to imagine Ben White wearing a careworn expression.
But at the age of just 23, the Poole-born defender has experienced almost everything the game has to offer – both good and bad.
Rejected and released by Southampton at the age of 16, White has earned his stripes the hard way, earning another chance with Brighton and then using a string of loan spells in the lower leagues to press his case for regular Premier League football.
For a footballer described as being too handsome for a centre-back, White has already shown he has the stomach for the fight when things turn ugly.
Just ask Michael Flynn, the Newport County manager, who oversaw his season with the League Two side in 2017-18.
“He’s unbelievable, he’s so calm, he reads the game so well and technically he’s very, very good,” he says.
“He’s just getting better and better. I said when he was with us that he would play at the top level and would also play for England.
“Turns out he has done both of those things already. I’m absolutely made up for him. I’m also very proud of him.”
Those sentiments will be shared by the whole population of Brighton and a good few people in Peterborough and Leeds too – clubs that have also hosted White on loan in the past three years.
For a player who faced an uncertain future when he was let go by Southampton before signing his first professional contract the world – or at least Europe over the next month or so – appears to be this seagulls’ oyster.
“Obviously Brighton had a plan for him – he went League Two, League One and then into the Championship,” says Flynn. “He has made every step-up look easy, he has taken it all in his stride.
“He’s an inspiration to young footballers up and down the country. It’s a credit to the way he reacted to the disappointment of being released by Southampton. A lot of players, a lot of lads, would have given up and quit. But that’s not in his nature.”
Almost seven years after that shock, White finds himself being handed the opportunity of a lifetime.
Given the way he has reacted to most situations during his career, it would be a surprise if he didn’t grab it with both hands.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3uW7mHm
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