Football

Carsley: "Ben White asked not to be called up to the England squad"

Interim England manager Lee Carsley has revealed that Arsenal defender Ben White has declined invitations to join the national team.

"We spoke about this in the squad selection. Every player that is eligible to play for England is in with a chance. As far as I'm aware White asked to not be contacted. If that changes, that will change.

I think it is important that we have real competition all over the pitch, and the more players we have available to pick from the better it is," Carsley told the BBC.

Ben White made his debut for the England national team in 2021 and has played four matches for the Three Lions. The Arsenal defender was included in the squad for the World Cup in Qatar, but he left the team shortly after the second group stage match against the USA (0-0). It was reported that White's departure was due to a conflict with Steve Holland, assistant to then-head coach Gareth Southgate. Since then, the defender has not been called up to the national team.

This season, Ben White has played three matches for Arsenal without registering any goal contributions.

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