Ben White ‘made himself unavailable’ for England squad says Gareth Southgate | Football [Video]

England boss Gareth Southgate said Ben White was omitted from his Three Lions squad for upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium because he made himself unavailable for selection.

White has been in fine form for Arsenal this term, and provided two assists for Arsenal in Saturday’s 2-1 win against Brentford last Saturday.

The defender’s ability to play at both centre-back and right-back is a major bonus going into a tournament when managers need tactical flexibility.

White was selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but left the squad before the last-16 clash against Senegal for ‘personal reasons’.

That has been the cause of much speculation, with rumours swirling around that White had fallen out with members of England’s backroom staff.

But Southgate denies that, and says White would have been selected for the spring internationals had he not made himself unavailable.