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An Arsenal star seems to have an international future after all.
Arsenal star Ben White has been offered and England olive branch by new Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel. White has had a colourful international career so far, racking up four caps to date.
White fell out with Gareth Southgate’s coaching staff and declared himself not available for selection as a result. Southgate explained at the time: “Clearly on form, I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t deserve to be here. [FA technical director] John McDermott had a call from [Arsenal sporting director] Edu last night saying Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads.
“It’s a great shame, he’s a player I really like, a player we took to the Euros, a player I took to the World Cup. I spoke to him post-Qatar because I was keen to pick him, there was clearly reticence on his side. I don't know fully why that is, but I have to respect that. I want to leave the door open to him, he’s a good player, a player who can make a difference for England, but he’s not available to us.”
With Southgate having made way, and with former Chelsea boss Tuchel taking over, much has been made over whether White now has an England future. Answering that question, the new Three Lions boss has confirmed that if the defender wants to represent his country, he will have the opportunity to do so.
"I will reach out to him," Tuchel confirmed. "It should be clean and a clean start and a clear narrative," he continued. "It starts from January. I will be in the stadiums from January.
"I will also not distract the players and they should just know, 'OK, the boss is there from January'. Then I will of course try to speak to them, but also be respectful to the schedule that they have, because schedule is busy in January, especially in the Premier League."
White is unlikely to be involved in the next international break in March, currently sidelined after a knee operation. He is due to be back in the early spring, but it’s unlikely he will want to risk playing international football so soon after returning, if indeed he is back from then.
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