Gareth Southgate reveals Ben White didn't want England call
Gareth Southgate has dropped Kalvin Phillips from the England squad and revealed that Ben White has asked not to be considered for selection.
The news about Phillips and White was eye-catching on a day when Southgate recalled Ivan Toney and Joe Gomez and gave first call-ups to Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon for Wembley friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
Toney returns for the first time since his eight-month ban for breaching Football Association betting rules ended in January. The 27-year-old, who made his England debut last year, has scored four goals for Brentford and has been included in place of the injured Callum Wilson.
“He’s shown straight away getting back into Brentford’s team the quality and impact he can have,” said Southgate, who admitted he may have space for only one of Toney or Ollie Watkins, another in the squad, for the Euros.
Southgate said he would have included White, who has excelled for Arsenal. White went home early from the World Cup and Southgate said he had been unable to persuade him to return to an international squad.
“I have to leave the door open for him because I think he’s a good player and a player who could make a difference for England,” said the manager, who described White’s unavailability as “a great shame”. Southgate said Edu, the Arsenal sporting director, had communicated that White did not want to be considered and that he did not know exactly why White had made the decision. On Thursday White signed a new four-year Arsenal contract, with the option for a further 12 months.
Southgate had been a factor in Phillips choosing to remain in the Premier League in January with a loan move to West Ham from Manchester City. But the midfielder has endured a torrid time at the
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