Lee Carsley revealed Arsenal right-back Ben White has asked “not to be contacted” by England as the row over his international availability continues.
White reportedly had a disagreement with Gareth Southgate‘s former assistant Steve Holland while at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, leading to him being sent home mid-tournament for “personal reasons”.
It was thought White’s position on selection may soften after Southgate’s departure after Euro 2024, but this does not appear to be the case.
Southgate had said in March that Arsenal sporting director Edu had contacted the FA previously to confirm White did not want to be considered for international duty.
Speaking after England’s 2-0 win over Finland at Wembley on Tuesday evening, Carsley said: “I’ve not planned to [contact White], no. We spoke about this in the squad selection. Every player that’s eligible to play for England is in with a chance.
“As far as I was aware, he was asked to be not contacted. So, if that changes, then that’ll change.”
Yet Carsley indicated he would be open to selecting White if he softened his stance.
“I’m thinking about the game tonight, but it wasn’t long after coming off the pitch where I was thinking ‘right, I need to start thinking about the next one now’,” the interim head coach said.
“How that might look and what players are going to be coming into form, and how that’s going to pan out. So, yeah, competition for places within this squad is very high.
“It is important that we’ve got real competition all over the pitch and the more players we’ve got available to pick from, the better it is.”
Right-back has long been a position of incredible strength in depth for England, making White’s absence less keenly felt than if he played in a weaker position.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold won Player of the Match in both Carsley’s first two matches in charge, setting up Harry Kane’s first goal against Finland and playing 90 minutes in both games.
Rico Lewis started on the left on Tuesday but is quickly becoming one of the nation’s leading right-sided defenders, while Newcastle’s Tino Livramento did not play despite his call-up but is clearly in Carsley’s plans.
This is without mentioning Kyle Walker, long England’s mainstay at right-back although guilty of a string of errors during Euro 2024, or Reece James, perhaps the most complete English full-back if he can stay fit.
Read more: The curious case of Ben White – loved at Arsenal, unhappy with England
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