England star set for U-turn under Thomas Tuchel amid Gareth Southgate fallout
Since leaving the England camp during the World Cup in Qatar, Ben White has not been involved with England.
Former manager Gareth Southgate revealed White had informed him that he was not willing to play for England, though that may have changed since his departure.
Southgate left after England’s second placed finish at the Euros, with Lee Carsley currently in interim charge of the national team while Thomas Tuchel waits in the wings as he looks forward to leading the squad come the new year.
talkSPORT have exclusively revealed White is expected to make a U-turn on his decision and play for England again under Tuchel.
There has been speculation surrounding White’s decision to leave the England camp in 2022, with sources suggesting the defender had a falling out with Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland.
talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham revealed: “I have heard from a very good source that Arsenal’s Ben White will be making himself available for selection in March.
“I’m fascinated to see if Tuchel thinks ‘yes, I’ll have him straight back in, he’s a top four player, he’s playing regularly for Arsenal, so he gets straight back in’.
“Or, whether he says to himself ‘this is somebody who didn’t care about England, so no I’m not going to have him back in’.”
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White’s decision to turn his back on the national team has divided opinion, with the Arsenal man receiving criticism from the likes of former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp.
The position is certainly up for grabs however with long-time full-backs Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier on the decline, Trent Alexander-Arnold unable to cement his place in the side, and Reece James’ constant fitness issues.
While in charge of Chelsea, Tuchel did operate with a back three, winning the Champions League with that system. Should he opt to go with that formation again, White would almost make himself a certainty in the side if he is to return as he has played at right-back and centre-back in his career.
White has made 12 appearances this season while nursing a knee injury. Earlier in the week, it had been revealed he underwent minor surgery.
His club boss Mikel Arteta now has options in defence with Jurrien Timber fully recovered after missing his first season at the Emirates with an ACL injury, so White is not as big a miss he may have been 12 months ago.
He could certainly be a huge gain to Tuchel though, with his quality undoubted.
