Ben White's decision to step back from the England team after the 2022 World Cup was a display of "very brave" honesty, according to Mikel Arteta. The Arsenal boss stands behind his defender, who chose not to play to avoid letting his country down.
Since leaving the Qatar camp due to a dispute with assistant coach Steve Holland, White has been absent from the Three Lions lineup. However, with new coach Thomas Tuchel at the helm, White, aged 27, is poised for an international comeback as he recovers from knee surgery.
Despite this, England legend Stuart Pearce has criticised the possibility of White's return by remarking, "If they let you down once, they always let you down."
Arteta shed light on the subject, remarking: "From what I understand the reasons, it wasn't about letting somebody down. He was just telling somebody 'I don't want to let you down and this is the way I feel. I think it's very difficult for me to give you what you need'. So I think it was completely different."
Reflecting on his involvement at the time of the incident, Arteta shared, "I can tell you because I was very involved in the moment that that happened and I know how Ben felt and that was for me very, very clear the reason why he made that decision, how he was feeling about it and how he was struggling."
White's actions stemmed from a deep sense of responsibility, facing up to his circumstances with sincerity: "It was about just facing the situation and saying: 'I cannot handle it now and I am not the best person to represent the country the way I feel right now'.
"I think not a lot of people would do it. What he did in my opinion was very brave and not a lot of people would have done it. Whatever the outcome is, what I want is Ben to be happy and that he feels fulfilled."