White rejected chance to play for England late on in ex boss Southgate's reign
He missed out on Tuchel's first squad but due to injury and he could return soon
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By ISAAN KHAN
Published: 18:31 EDT, 14 March 2025 | Updated: 18:31 EDT, 14 March 2025
Mikel Arteta firmly defended Ben White's 'very brave' decision to make himself unavailable for England selection under Gareth Southgate as he was 'struggling' in the set-up.
White has not played for his country since dropping out of England's Qatar World Cup camp in November 2022 because of 'personal reasons'. A rumoured falling out with the then England assistant coach Steve Holland had been reported.
The 27-year-old has played four times for the Three Lions, with his last appearance in March 2022. Thomas Tuchel confirmed White 'would love to be back in the squad' but did not pick him Friday's squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Latvia and Albania later this month.
It comes after the Arsenal defender only recently recovered from a knee injury that required surgery, in which he missed 21 games between November and February.
Ex-England captain Stuart Pearce said on TalkSPORT on Friday morning, in reference to White, that, if a player 'let's you down once, they will always let you down'.
When asked if White had turned his back on England, Arteta replied: 'It's just opinion. I can tell you because I was very involved in the moment that happened and I know how Ben felt and that was for me very, very clear the reason why he made that decision, how he was feeling about it and how he was struggling.
Mikel Arteta has defended Ben White's decision to reject England under Gareth Southgate
White has not played for his country since dropping out of England's Qatar World Cup camp in November 2022
Arteta praised the Gunners defender for taking himself out of a situation he was 'struggling' in
'It certainly wasn't about that. It was about being the opposite, just facing the situation and saying, "I cannot handle it now and I am not the best person to represent the country the way I feel right now".
'So for me it was completely the opposite. I think not a lot of people would do it. What a lot of people would do is hide in that context, in that environment and let time go and nobody talk about it.
'What he did in my opinion was very brave and not a lot of people would have done it.'
Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka will ramp up his return to match fitness next week at the north London club during the international break in a boost for the Gunners.
Saka has been side-lined since suffering a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace on December 21.
Arteta added: 'He (Saka) is going to be here, hopefully more with ball at his feet than his hands!.
'That will mean he is passing the ball and shooting and running and everything. He has done quite a lot already on the pitch working on his own. Next we need to arrange it with people around him in a more competitive training session and see how he goes with that.'