Gareth Southgate on Ben White rejecting England: ‘Everyone’s wired differently’

Gareth Southgate felt he had to try and pick Ben White on form, despite admitting that he had previously sensed a “reticence” in the Arsenal right-back about joining up with the England squad.

The manager revealed on Thursday that White had made himself unavailable for England duty “at the current time”. Southgate did not directly speak to White; instead Arsenal sporting director Edu told the Football Association’s technical director John McDermott that the 26-year-old didn’t want to be considered for selection.

White’s new long-term contract with Arsenal was coincidentally announced on the same day – or perhaps timed to deflect from the England furore – with the player signing on until 2028. His experience with England has been much more fractious, having left the camp in the middle of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Southgate said he couldn’t speak to the player’s mindset, other than to say “everybody’s wired differently”.

The England manager even revealed that one player previously turned down a call-up for his first ever match, against Malta in October 2016.

“I’m not able to articulate that,” Southgate said of White’s mentality towards international duty. “You’d have to speak to him or Arsenal to get an understanding of that. There have been players over the years in my time who didn’t want to be available. I’ve had that since we’ve been here. It’s not the only time [a player has turned down a call up].

“For me, England was the pinnacle. Did I enjoy every moment with England? No. Were there moments where you thought ‘here we go, into the lions’ den’ if you like? Yes. But I always wanted to challenge myself and test myself. And the things I regret in my life are the things that I’ve not had a go at, not the things that I’ve failed at. For me, it was always the ultimate.

“But, I wasn’t at a club going for the league title, or in the last couple of rounds of the Champions League. I can’t speculate what’s behind it.”

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When it was put to Southgate that Manchester City’s Kyle Walker still turns up for every camp, he said: “But everybody’s wired differently, and look, we have to respect that. There’s clearly a reason. But I don’t know the full reason.”

Southgate revealed he didn’t try to persuade White to come back, and that they haven’t spoken “since his decision”.

“I think it would be a similar conversation to the last one I had with him [after Qatar], and I could sense a reticence there which I felt I should back away from. I think it’s for him now.”

Southgate acknowledged that White could now face a backlash around England, but said he had to explain the situation, as otherwise he would face questions on why such an in-form player had not been called up.

“As I’ve said, in these situations I’ve tried to protect players. Clearly that is impossible at this point. Because the timing of asking to come off the long-list, and the fact that… I don’t have huge credibility if I didn’t pick him on form! I don’t think it would be right not to state the situation we’re in.

“We’ve explained to Arsenal we were going to do that. And if you make a decision like that, you do have to stand by it. But like I say, I want to keep the door open [for White]. I don’t want that to be a backlash. I understand that we’re in a situation where that could happen. But I believe he’s announced he’s signing a new contract today, so there’s no question he’s got the love of the Arsenal fans.

“For me, the shame is that he’s a player I like. I can see his ability is obvious. I would have liked to have picked him. But it’s not an option that’s open to me. I completely respect it. The door for me is completely open. Look, we have to say that’s unlikely now for the Euros because of the situation this month. But moving forward, I would hope that he feels differently about it.”

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Southgate similarly said the door is “not shut” on Raheem Sterling, but admitted the winger is currently behind a wealth of other options in that position. The England manager pointed to the form of Cole Palmer, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon and near-certain starters such as Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden.

“We have to say at the moment at Chelsea, Cole is the one that is starting every game and they are leaving on. With the form of Anthony Gordon, with the goals Bowen has scored, he has got a fight on his hands. We know what Bukayo and Phil have done over a long period of time.

“It's like I have said over the past few selections, it's the area of the pitch where we have the highest level of competition for places. We'll never close the door because we know he can perform in our environment in the games that really matter, but at the moment we see him behind those guys.

“I know we've always tried to balance who can do the job for us, loyalty, but I do believe over time we've given opportunity to form as well and we're doing that again with Gordon. Bowen was in the last two squads anyway. [Jarrad] Branthwaite is a little bit different because we have problems at the back and even if it's not for this summer, we can invest some time in him. With Raheem, he's just got to play well for Chelsea.”