The reason Ben White was left out of Thomas Tuchel's first 23-man England squad on Friday has been revealed - and it's not to do with the Englishman's previous grumbles towards the national team. The former Bayern Munich manager is preparing to take up a position in the Wembley Stadium dugout next week as the Three Lions welcome Albania and Latvia in World Cup qualifiers.
On Friday, a first glimpse into the German's vision of what the future England squad could look like came in the form of his first squad announcement. Among the surprising inclusions were former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and the return of Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford. Conor Gallagher and Morgan Gibbs-White, on the other hand, proved to be shock omissions.
White, who is considered among the best right-backs in the Premier League when he's fully fit, had a complicated relationship with former Three Lions' boss Gareth Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland, with problems stemming from the 2022 World Cup after Tuchel's predecessor's second-in-command berated the Arsenal star in front of his teammates shortly before the defender called quits ahead of the knockout stages.
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Thomas Tuchel Names England Squad for Albania and Latvia Internationals
Thomas Tuchel has named his first England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
Why Ben White Was Not Selected By Thomas Tuchel
The Arsenal defender is eager to repair fractured relationship with the national team
Ben White looking on for Arsenal
White has spent the past two years distancing himself from England's near-misses with glory, but reports suggest the defender is now ready to reconcile under Tuchel's leadership. However, before being considered for a call-up, he must secure consistent playing time after recovering from a knee injury. Tuchel confirmed his return to contention (see the full interview below) saying:
"He loves to be back in the squad. I just think it’s a bit too early now for him given the seriousness of his injury. I'm delighted to announce he is back."
The bottom line is, however, that White has returned to the fold for England, even if retired England international Nicky Butt had some choice words to say about his possible return. The former Manchester United midfielder revealed, as per The Sun, that he felt the defender's bust-up in Qatar should have signalled an early end to his international career.
“He is good enough to go in the squad, he’s a top player," he said. “But he’s not that good to beg him to come back.He’s not a Shearer in his day, he’s not a Gascoigne in his day.
“There’s been a few over the years who have said, ‘I don’t want to play’ or ‘I want to get ready for next season’, In other words, 'I don’t want to play’ or ‘I don’t want to be sub’. Once you break that, I don’t think there should be any way back."
While it remains to be seen what the rest of the population thinks about the situation, Tuchel and co. will look to nullify ongoing discussions next Friday (March 21) when they take on Albania in the first of two World Cup qualifiers. They will then welcome Latvia to Wembley Stadium three days later on March 24.