Thomas Tuchel shares why Arsenal star Ben White was not included in latest England squad

Gidiweb7 hours ago

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Arsenal trio Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Declan Rice have been called up to the England national team for the matches against Andorra and Senegal next month, with Ben White missing out.

The 27-year-old Gunners star last played for the Three Lions against the Ivory Coast in an international friendly in March 2022 and was said to be open to returning to the team following the departure of Gareth Southgate.

However, new England manager Thomas Tuchel did not include White in his second squad, and he has explained why.

Thomas Tuchel’s #ThreeLions squad for June is here! 👀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

— England (@England) May 23, 2025

“He made very strong progress,” the German told reporters.

“We had a talk and we decided that at the moment this is not the moment – because he will become a father very soon. The baby is due during the camp. We wish him all the best for that.”

Tuchel on Ben White not being in the squad:

“He made very strong progress. We had a talk and we decided that at the moment this is not the moment – because he will become a father very soon. The baby is due during the camp. We wish him all the best for that.”

— Simon Collings (@sr_collings) May 23, 2025

Tuchel adds that White is still getting back to full fitness, which was also a factor.

Stresses, however, that White is “100 per cent” ready to be called up in the future.

— Simon Collings (@sr_collings) May 23, 2025

White refused to make himself available for selection after leaving the England squad during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following a disagreement with former assistant coach Steve Holland, but he is now ready to return.