Gareth Southgate, the England manager, has defended his decision to publicly discuss Ben White's decision to make himself unavailable for England duty. He acknowledged that White, who has been a standout player for Premier League leaders Arsenal this season, might face some backlash but felt it was «impossible» to hide the reason behind his omission from the squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
Arsenal sporting director, Edu, informed John McDermott, the technical director at the Football Association, last week that White does not wish to be considered for England squads at the moment. This comes after he was sent home early from the 2022 World Cup, which the Football Association attributed to «personal reasons».
However, there were later reports of an alleged disagreement with England assistant Steve Holland. Southgate denied any such argument on Thursday, but White's absence from a squad already hit by injuries has sparked discussions about the future international career of the versatile defender.
«John McDermott had a call from Edu last week to say that Ben didn't want to be considered for England squads at this time. For me, that's a great shame,» Southgate said.
«For me, England was the pinnacle. Did I enjoy every moment with England? No. Were there moments where you thought 'here we go, into the lions' den' if you like, literally? Yes, but I always wanted to challenge myself and test myself.
»And the things I regret in my life are the things that I've not had a go at, not the things that I've failed at. For me, it was always the ultimate, but, I wasn't at a club going for the league title, or in the last couple of rounds of the Champions League. I can't speculate what's behind it.
Arsenal boss
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