The reason Ben White was left out of Thomas Tuchel's first 23-man England squad on Friday has been revealed - and it's not to do with the Englishman's previous grumbles towards the national team. The former Bayern Munich manager is preparing to take up a position in the Wembley Stadium dugout next week as the Three Lions welcome Albania and Latvia in World Cup qualifiers.
On Friday, a first glimpse into the German's vision of what the future England squad could look like came in the form of his first squad announcement. Among the surprising inclusions were former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and the return of Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford. Conor Gallagher and Morgan Gibbs-White, on the other hand, proved to be shock omissions.
White, who is considered among the best right-backs in the Premier League when he's fully fit, had a complicated relationship with former Three Lions' boss Gareth Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland, with problems stemming from the 2022 World Cup after Tuchel's predecessor's second-in-command berated the Arsenal star in front of his teammates shortly before the defender called quits ahead of the knockout stages
Why Ben White Was Not Selected By Thomas Tuchel
The Arsenal defender is eager to repair fractured relationship with the national team
White has spent the past two years distancing himself from England's near-misses with glory, but reports suggest the defender is now ready to reconcile under Tuchel's leadership. However, before being considered for a call-up, he must secure consistent playing time after recovering from a knee injury. Tuchel confirmed his return to contention