Arsenal defender, Ben White’s decision to withdraw from international football is nearly two years. But his decision was sparked by a critical comment made by Steve Holland, Gareth Southgate’s assistant.
White requested not to be taken into consideration, Southgate disclosed last week when he unveiled the England team for their forthcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
It happened after the Arsenal full-back, who had reportedly had a row with Holland, left the England camp midway through the 2022 World Cup in Qatar citing “personal reasons.”
According to the Telegraph as claimed by Daily Mail, when the Three Lions were in Qatar in November 2022, Holland questioned White’s interest in football, which caused a rift between the two.
The assistant to Southgate reportedly questioned Kyle Walker about Manchester City’s performance in the previous campaign before asking White the same question about Arsenal.
According to reports, the 26-year-old said he didn’t know the answer. Which prompted Holland to attribute it to his lack of enthusiasm for football.
It is stated that the discussion took place in front of other squad members.
The Football Association declared on November 30 that White had left camp and gone home, the day after England’s 3-0 victory over Wales in their last group match.
The same report stated that White was more agitated about the conversation’s public nature rather than about Holland’s particular remark.
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White is currently flying high in an Arsenal side, who are presently on the Premier League summit.
The former Brighton and Leeds United defender has scored 2 goals and delivered 4 assists for the Gunners, who are set to clash with Bayern Munich in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League.
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