Thomas Tuchel has clarified the international future of Ben White, who made himself permanently unavailable for selection under Gareth Southgate.
The new England manager has not included the Arsenal defender, who was also not part of the Three Lions set-up under interim manager Lee Carsley last year, in his first squad.
Asked about White’s international status with a new manager in charge, Tuchel offered a definitive update.
Thomas Tuchel answers whether Arsenal defender Ben White will play for England
White has been capped four times for the national team but made himself unavailable for selection in March 2024.
Reported tensions between the player and Steve Holland, Southgate’s former assistant and now manager of Yokohama F. Marinos, were denied by the now-departed Three Lions boss.
After a year in international football exile, White could be in line for a return to the England fold with Tuchel, who is ranked at no. 10 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, in charge.
“He loves to be back in the squad,” said Tuchel in his press conference after announcing his squad.
“I just think it’s a bit too early now for him given the seriousness of the injury that he had.
“I’m delighted that he’s back now in back-to-back training, so we were monitoring the process and huge compliments to the medical and performance departments of the FA and thanks to everyone at Arsenal to let us monitor closely.”
White underwent knee surgery in the autumn and has only started one game since. Mikel Arteta was able to make changes in the Champions League after Arsenal beat PSV 7-1 in the first leg of their last 16 tie and White got the nod.
The Gunners progressed by virtue of a 2-2 draw at the Emirates, setting up a quarter-final against Real Madrid in April. White played nearly 80 minutes.
The 27-year-old last played for England in March 2022, when he started friendly matches against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.
After missing England’s dismal Nations League campaign and subsequent relegation to League B, White returned to the England squad for the World Cup in Qatar but did not make it onto the pitch.
Despite making a successful career from football, White is notoriously short of affection for the game. He doesn’t watch matches in his free time but is understood to be diligent in his preparation and studious when it comes to opposition wingers.
England will kick off their World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign without White next week with fixtures against Albania and Latvia at Wembley Stadium.
If the Arsenal defender’s recovery stays on track, June’s games against Andorra and Senegal could see him back among Tuchel’s Three Lions.
