Gareth Southgate explains why Ben White was not selected for England squad for upcoming friendlies

England boss Gareth Southgate has revealed that Arsenal defender Ben White did not want to be selected for the upcoming international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

When asked in his press conference on Thursday, Southgate told reporters that Arsenal’s Edu Gaspar told him that White did not want to be part of the squad, as quoted by Standard Sport.

“Clearly on form, I cannot say he does not deserve to be in. We had a call from Edu last week saying that Ben did not want to be considered for England squads at this time.

“For me, that is a great shame. He is a player I really like. He is a player I took to the Euros when he was at Brighton, a player we took to the World Cup.

“I spoke to him post-Qatar because I was keen to pick him and there was clearly reticence on his side. I do not know fully why that is but I have to respect that.

“I want to leave the door open for him because he is a good player and I think he is a player who can make a difference for England. But he is not available to us. The only other thing to say is there is no issue between us at all.

“I should also say there is no issue with [assistant coach] Steve Holland, because that has been mentioned in articles and I do not like that. He would be in this squad. But he is not available to us. So I have to focus on those who can help us.”