Ben White has told England he doesn’t want to play, reveals Gareth Southgate, after Arsenal defender left Qatar World Cup for mystery ‘personal reasons’ before reports of a bust-up with Steve Holland

Ben White has turned down the chance to play for England, Gareth Southgate revealed on Thursday.

The English coach wanted to call White up for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, but Arsenal’s technical director, Edu, told him that the defender did not want to be called up.

White caused a stir when he left the England camp midway through the 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar. There have been suggestions it was due to a disagreement with Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland, although the England manager denied this yesterday.

Southgate said he does not know why White does not want to be included and confirmed Arsenal have been informed of his decision to make the news public.

There are now major doubts over White’s international future, although Southgate was at pains to say the door is not closed for the versatile defender.

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“We had a call from Edu last week to tell us that Ben did not want to be considered for the England squads at the moment,” said Southgate, who accepts the 26-year-old is unlikely to change his mind before the Euros. this summer. .

“For me it is a great shame. He is a player that we took to the European Championship when he was at Brighton, we took him to the World Cup.

“I spoke to him after Qatar because I really wanted to choose him and there was clearly reluctance on his part.

‘There is clearly a reason. But I don’t know the full reason. I want to leave the door open for him because he is a good player and a player who can make a difference for England. I must also say that there has never been any problem with Steve Holland. That has already been mentioned and I don’t like it.

‘I have to accept that false things are said about me.

“But I’m not prepared for that to happen to a key member of my coaching team because that’s not the reason Ben is not available for selection.”

White, who signed a new four-year deal with Arsenal yesterday, is now likely to face a backlash from rival fans and Southgate said: “In these situations I have tried to protect the players.” Clearly that is impossible at this time.

‘Because the moment… if I didn’t choose it in the right way (people would ask why). So I don’t think it’s right not to say the situation we’re in. We have explained to Arsenal that we were going to announce it. And if you make a decision like that, you have to stick with it. But like I say, I want to keep the door open. I don’t want there to be a backlash. But I understand that that could happen.”

Southgate called up Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Newcastle star Anthony Gordon for the first time. Brentford striker Ivan Toney and Liverpool defender Joe Gomez were called up. However, Kalvin Phillips was dropped after struggling at Manchester City and now West Ham on loan.

Southgate said: ‘Kalvin knows what we think of him. A good version of him is an important player for us and that is why we have supported him. Unfortunately his form hasn’t been good enough. He has the attributes to force his return and we are looking forward to him doing so.”

Meanwhile, Southgate has informed the FA that he wants to postpone any attempt to extend his contract until the end of Euro 2024. The 53-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the tournament and the FA are keen for him to stay.

“We’d have to sit down and think about that at the end of the tournament,” he said. “We’ve put aside any discussion because I think if we had sat down and signed a new contract before the tournament, everyone would have said, ‘You should prove yourself before you sign.’