Arsenal defender Ben White has been left out of England’s 33-man provisional squad for the upcoming European Championships in Germany this summer. England boss Gareth Southgate named his preliminary squad with a number of notable exclusions.
Besides, Ben White, the likes of Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, and Raheem Sterling were all left out and Southgate will have to trim down the roster to 26 players with the final selections to be submitted by June 7, 2024.
Why was Arsenal defender Ben White left out of England Euro 2024 squad?
The Arsenal defender withdrew from the 2022 World Cup squad amidst a rumoured rift with England’s assistant manager Steven Holland. Since then White has been on England’s periphery as he made himself unavailable for England’s international friendlies back in March.
White was not called up for England’s international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium after Arsenal sporting director Edu informed Southgate not to include the 26-year-old defender.
His exclusion from the 2024 Euro squad is one of the less surprising decisions, as Southgate earlier explained the idea of a potential snub this summer. White has earned only four international caps in his England career.
“On form, I can’t sit here and say [White] doesn’t deserve to be in,” said Southgate in March. “John McDermott had a call from Edu last week to say Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads at this time.
“That’s a great shame, he’s a player I really like, he’s a player we took to the Euros when he was at Brighton, to the World Cup. I spoke to him post-Qatar because I wanted to pick him up. There was clearly reticence from his side, I don’t know fully why that is.”
Who is in England’s 33-man provisional squad?
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jude Bellingham, (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
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