Ben White's England selection U-turn latest and phone call that made him cry

If Ben White still has plans on representing his country again, he may be hoping Lee Carsley doesn’t get the England permanently. The Arsenal defender, who has four caps, informed Gareth Southgate in March that he did not want to be considered for selection and missed out on Euro 2024 as a result.

That came after he left the Three Lions squad during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for ‘personal reasons’. The reason for his withdrawal has never been truly explained, although there have been suggestions he did not take kindly to a comment from Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland.

With Southgate resigning in the aftermath of England’s Euros final defeat to Spain, there is a chance for a fresh start for many players who weren’t in the former manager’s plans. White is ready to return to the England fold, although he wasn’t named in interim boss Carsley’s squad for the Nations League games against Ireland and Finland.

Carsley himself has heard rumours of White’s renewed England ambitions but says his situation hasn’t changed, at least officially. The interim boss said: “I’ve seen in some of the press reports that he was open to [returning to the England squad], but it’s gone no further.

“So, as far as I’m aware, he wasn’t available for selection. Nothing’s changed in my two weeks of being here.”

However, it is clear playing for his country means a lot to White, who cried tears of joy after securing a late call-up to the delayed Euro 2020 following an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold. Speaking after his selection was confirmed, White told Sky Sports: “I got a phone call, got told the news. I was out for dinner, I didn’t really believe it!

“Speaking to Dan [Ashworth], he told me all the news, when I was going, it was obviously unbelievable. I put the phone down, rang my mum straight away, sat down there, cried, mum was crying. My dad, [I] had all my sisters there.

“Yeah, I just sat and cried for about an hour. I couldn’t really believe it and I don’t think it’s settled in yet. I didn’t really think that I would be called. I thought it was a bit too late because I’ve heard you get called way before it. But I obviously didn’t and when that call did come I was over the moon with it and shocked.”

White, who played in the pre-tournament friendlies, didn’t make an appearance during Euro 2020, where England lost in the final to Italy. His last international cap came against the Ivory Coast in March 2022.