England senior Jamie Carragher (46) has claimed to have figured out the true intentions of 'junior' Ben White (27, Arsenal).
"Jamie Carragher has speculated on the real reason behind Arsenal defender Ben White's refusal to play for England," Football London reported on Tuesday.
England's squad faced Brazil on Sept. 24 and Belgium on Sept. 27 in international friendlies. These were important matches to test the team ahead of the European Football Championship 2024 finals in Germany in June.
Against both teams, England drew 2-2 and lost 0-1, respectively.
Arsenal defender Ben White was expected to be included in the squad, but he declined. Gareth Southgate, the national team manager, said of White's refusal: "I'm very disappointed. What is clear is that we cannot say that he doesn't deserve to be in the squad."
According to local reports in England, director John McDermott said: "I received a call from an Arsenal official yesterday. They told me that White has refused to play for the national team," said McDermott, 카지노사이트 who was informed of White's refusal.
Southgate responded: "He's a player I really like and I was with him at the World Cup in Qatar. It's a shame. I want to say to him that he can come back, I don't know why, but we have to respect his choice."
White's refusal to play was cited as a feud with coach Steve Holland.
"I think he's done a great job for Arsenal, but in my opinion he's the fifth option behind Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier," said Carragher, who believes White was afraid of losing out on a starting spot.
"He probably thought he wasn't going to get a chance to play," Carragher said. "He probably thought he wasn't going to play anyway, so let's not make a bigger story out of it.
His partner Gary Neville had a different argument: "White is a player who can play at center back. England's center backs haven't been good," he said, highlighting White's versatility.
Carragher then added: "Even at Arsenal, White doesn't play center back. Maybe he thought, 'I can rest easy and get ready for the rest of the season'. Good luck to him," Neville countered.