Arsenal star Ben White recently returned to the England squad for the first time since the World Cup 2022
11:55, 31 Mar 2026
Arsenal and England defender Ben White
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Ben White has returned to the England squad under Thomas Tuchel(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA, Getty Images)
A fresh theory has surfaced regarding Ben White's notorious England rift. The Arsenal defender rejoined the Three Lions setup for the first time under Thomas Tuchel this month.
White received his call-up as a late replacement for Jarell Quansah. He was met with boos from sections of England supporters after entering as a substitute against Uruguay to end his international absence on Friday.
The 28-year-old appeared to have scored a late winner for Tuchel's team before giving away a penalty that saw the fixture finish 1-1. However, speculation persists over what sparked his earlier disagreement during Gareth Southgate's tenure.
The Arsenal star departed the World Cup squad in 2022 due to personal reasons. While there have been ongoing rumours of a confrontation with England's coaching team, a new explanation for his withdrawal has come to light.
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"This is what I'm led to understand has happened with Ben White," broadcaster Adrian Durham said on talkSPORT. "The players were told to watch videos of opponents and they were given videos on their laptops, iPads, whatever it was.
"He decided not to and the England analysts knew, because they had the tech, who had and who hadn't watched the videos. When asked about it, Ben White got really upset about it to the point where he quit England.
"If that is true, why on earth would Thomas Tuchel want him back in the squad when he's not prepared to put the hard yards in to be as good as he possibly can against the opponents England are up against. If it's not true, I apologise, but let's have the flipping truth."
White was met with jeers at several points during his outing against Uruguay, including when he was announced as England's goalscorer. Tuchel admitted his disappointment at the crowd's hostile reception towards the versatile defender.
Ben White celebrates scoring for England
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White scored his first England goal on Friday(Image: Alex Davidson - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Despite this potential setback, White remains in contention to feature in the forthcoming clash against Japan on Tuesday. Tuchel is expected to ring the changes and has confirmed that White remains part of his thinking.
"He has our support and I think he feels our support and the support from the group," Tuchel said of White being jeered. "I understand that it happened to some other players already and hopefully we got it out of our system and if he plays tomorrow, there's a chance - because it would make sense to play a lot of players who have fresh legs and didn't start the first match.
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"He is one of them – and if he has a good training session he's in the mix. I'm not involved in all the meetings and talks that go on without the coach and I was in a lot of meetings looking at Japan and stuff.
"So I am not fully aware but I think so – that's my guess. He was good, again good in training and good in the group."
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