Ben White’s wife Milly shared a photo of the couple on holiday on the day England’s Euro 2024 squad was announced.
Gareth Southgate revealed his 26-man squad on Thursday night, with surprise omissions of the likes of Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire from the team that will bid to win the Three Lions’ first major trophy since 1966.
White’s future in England remains unclear after Southgate revealed during the March international break that the defender had decided not to be available for selection.
He was therefore not considered for the summer squad and will enjoy some time off before returning to pre-season training with Arsenal in a few weeks.
The 26-year-old apparently jetted off to relax before that, with his mind far from the Euros as he was seen enjoying the sun as his country’s squad for the summer tournament was named.
Ben White’s wife Milly shared a photo of the couple enjoying the sun on the day England’s Euro squad was announced.
Milly regularly shares snaps of the couple enjoying some down time on her social media profiles.
White is unavailable for Three Lions selection following a reported clash with assistant manager Steve Holland in 2022.
In a photo shared on Milly’s Instagram, captioned: ‘Life’ with a blue heart emoji, White can be seen enjoying a cold drink, wearing a black and blue shirt as he takes in his surroundings.
The defender is sitting at a table with an umbrella, with Milly resting her legs on her other half as she takes the cross.
The photo was shared around 5pm on Thursday, and the England squad was confirmed at 7pm.
Southgate was tasked with reducing his squad from 33 men to 26, with players such as James Maddison already leaving camp after discovering he had not made the cut.
Asked if he spoke to White before choosing his team, Southgate replied: “No. As far as I know, he is not available for us.
In March, Southgate said Arsenal sporting director Edu had informed him that White, capped four times by his country, did not want to play for the Three Lions at the moment.
He has not played internationally since returning from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar “for personal reasons” after Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland reportedly made a “scathing comment” at his expense in front of the team.
White played 51 times in all competitions as Arsenal closed in on Manchester City in the Premier League title race, while the Gunners again fell short and ultimately finished second in the table.
His ability to play at both centre-back and right-back would have potentially been useful for Southgate at the Euros in Germany.
Instead, the England manager called up Liverpool youngster Jarell Quansah and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite in his provisional squad, although both were eventually dropped.
Holland (left) allegedly questioned White’s interest in soccer while they were in Qatar for the World Cup.
Since then, White has had the support of Milly, whom he married in 2023 after the incident in Qatar.
Milly shared several other snaps from the couple’s summer getaway as White relaxed before returning to Arsenal for pre-season training.
Meanwhile, England midfielder Declan Rice said in March that he would speak to White upon his return to Arsenal, hoping his teammate would eventually agree to end his exile.
He said: ‘All I can say is that it’s Ben’s life. It’s Ben’s decision. We can’t discuss with him what he wants to do. Of course, there will always be people writing things, having their opinions on what they think.
“But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what he thinks and at the moment, he obviously doesn’t want to play for England.”
“Now it’s really for Ben,” Southgate added. “Dec is obviously in a difficult situation. You ask him about a teammate and he will be careful what he says. As I told you, the door is open for us.
“That’s clearly difficult going into the Euros, where you have players who have played until the end but we have no idea who will be available in that area of the pitch.”
“I respected the situation because Arsenal contacted us. In the end, I know the conversation I had with him last March. I felt I had to get away from it a little bit. But I have always left the door open. I really wanted to bring him to this field.
Reports have suggested that the split was sparked by Holland questioning White’s interest in football while they were in Qatar.
Southgate’s assistant reportedly asked Kyle Walker a question relating to Manchester City’s performances in the previous season, before posing the same question to White about Arsenal.
White allegedly said he didn’t know the answer, leading Holland to claim it was due to his lack of interest in football.
The conversation is said to have taken place in front of other members of the team.
White’s Arsenal team-mate Declan Rice (pictured) said he would speak to the defender after the international break in March.
Southgate (right) said he “respected the situation” after Arsenal told him White would not be available.
He played 51 times for Arsenal this season as his team pushed Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Amid White’s refusal to be part of the England squad, Kyle Walker is the only recognized right-back in the Three Lions squad traveling to Germany.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is also in the squad, but is listed as a midfielder and has been used regularly in that role in recent months under Southgate.
Ezri Konsa has filled in there for both his club, Aston Villa, and his country, while there is debate over who will fill the central defender position with Maguire injured.
White would perhaps have been the first choice to accompany John Stones, but now players like Konsa, Marc Guehi, Lewis Dunk and Joe Gomez will compete.
