England boss Thomas Tuchel has been told to stand form by Three Lions legend Chris Waddle on the outcast who "spat the dummy out"
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Updated 10:48, 19 Mar 2025
Thomas Tuchel, Head Coach of England,
(Image: Eddie Keogh - The FA, The FA via Getty Images)
England legend Chris Waddle has told Thomas Tuchel to leave Ben White in international exile because he "spat the dummy out" by walking out on the Three Lions. Arsenal defender White went home from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, amid uncorroborated suggestions of a disagreement with former England coach Gareth Southgate's assistant Steve Holland, and has not added to his four caps since.
White, 27, has just returned from a lengthy injury lay-off and he has never publicly explained his reasons for leaving the tournament - but he was among the 55 players sounded out by new England boss Tuchel in a series of phone calls. And Waddle, who reached the World Cup semi-finals as part of Sir Bobby Robson's side in 1990, says the Gunners full-back should be left in purgatory for up to two years before he is considered again.
Waddle, who won 62 England caps, told 10bet: "I wouldn't bring Ben White back in. He said he didn't want to be picked again. He spat the dummy out, didn't he?
"So now he's all right to play. So, he wants to pick and choose his England career? Listen, you would never say you never want to play for England. I would never have said that.
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"I would have played if I was 50. Modern-day players who say that, I'm not being picked, so don't pick me again, all of a sudden become available.
"For the time he didn't play, he didn't want to play, I would say, well, we'll give you the same ban. So, if it was a year or two years, then I'd consider you in two years' time.
"You should never say no to England. If you don't get on with the manager and you don't like the style of play, you wouldn't be picked anyway.
"But when you get a late call-up, you don't say no."
Ben White
Ben White is back in contention for England(Image: Getty Images)
Waddle fell out of favour during Graham Taylor's England reign in the early 1990s but Terry Venables wanted to bring him back into the international fold - only for injury to deny him an encore.
He won the last of his England caps in October 1991 in a 1–0 win over Turkey, more than six years after making his international debut, and having rarely missed an England game over the period.
But Taylor believed Waddle did not score enough goals for England - just six in 62 caps - the last one, against Scotland in 1989, came two-and-a-half years before his final cap.
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