Ben White’s most recent England selection U-turn and the phone conversation that brought him to tears
Ben White, who previously broke down in tears when called up for England service, is still not included in the national squad because he made himself unavailable.
Ben White might be hoping Lee Carsley doesn’t win the England team permanently if he still want to play for his nation. The four-cap Arsenal defender told Gareth Southgate in March that he did not want to be considered for selection, and as a result, he was not selected for Euro 2024.
That followed his departure for “personal reasons” from the Three Lions team for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Although he may not have been pleased with a remark made by Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland, the real reason for his withdrawal has never been given.
Following England’s loss to Spain in the Euro final, Southgate resigned, giving several players who weren’t part of the old manager’s plans an opportunity for a new beginning. Despite not being included in interim manager Carsley’s squad for the Nations League matches against Finland and Ireland, White is prepared to rejoin the England team.
Although Carsley is aware of the speculations regarding White’s rekindled desire to move to England, he claims that nothing has changed, at least not formally. “I’ve seen in some of the press reports that he was open to [returning to the England squad], but it’s gone no further,” the acting manager stated.
Thus, to the best of my knowledge, he was not open for selection. After two weeks, nothing has changed here.
But it’s obvious that White values representing his nation greatly because he broke down in tears when he was finally called up for the postponed Euro 2020 due to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury. After it was verified that he had been selected, White said to Sky Sports, “I got a call, got told the news.” It was hard for me to believe I was going out to supper!
“When I spoke with Dan [Ashworth], he gave me all the news, which was obviously unreal at the time I was leaving. I hung up the phone, called my mother right away, took a seat, and started crying; my mother was crying too. My sisters were all there with my dad.
Yes, I spent over an hour crying while sitting down. It still hasn’t fully clicked with me, and I was shocked to hear it. I honestly didn’t think I would get a call. Because I’ve heard that you are called much earlier, I thought it was a little too late. However, I clearly didn’t, and when that call did arrive, I was astonished and ecstatic.
White, who participated in the pre-tournament friendly matches, was absent from the Euro 2020 event, where Italy defeated England in the final. In March 2022, he played his final international match against the Ivory Coast.
