NEWS. . . BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Arsenal legend Ray Parlor has suggested England fans “respect” Ben White’s resolve after the defender was unavailable for the foreign side in the build-up to this summer’s European Championship.
Gareth Southgate has named the unselected trio of Jarrad Branthwaite, Anthony Gordon and Ezri Konsa to his 25-man squad for England’s Euro 2024 warm-up matches in Brazil and Belgium last week.
However, White’s omission made headlines, with Southgate revealing in his press conference that the 26-year-old had asked not to appear in the variety through Arsenal sporting director Edu.
White has played for the Three Lions since leaving the World Cup in Qatar in early 2022, citing “personal reasons”, amid reports of an altercation on the education floor with Southgate’s trusted assistant Steve Holland.
Southgate has since admitted he feared White would face a “backlash” for rejecting the call to form his country, with former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp later criticising the flexible defender’s “disgusting” decision.
But former Arsenal and England midfielder Parlor understands White’s situation better and believes Southgate’s selection to favour Eric Dier at the World Cup would possibly have been the source of his frustration.
“What he’s done at Arsenal has been brilliant. A fantastic, wonderful signing,” Parlor told talkSPORT.
“I think the World Cup actually surprised him a little bit because there was an opportunity where he probably could have been substituted and come on and I think Gareth picked Eric Dier, who wasn’t betting on Spurs at the time. . .
“It affected him because he played brilliantly. I couldn’t have played better in those days.
I’m sure Ben will admit he’s not a big football fan. That’s not the case for everyone. But what he’s done at Arsenal is brilliant.
Parlour added, “I’ve been in a lot of groups where I didn’t get a call-up and I was just there in case I got the chance.
“They gave him 3 or 4 right-backs in front of him, right? [Kieran] Tripper, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James if he’s fit. . . So it’s hard. I know he can also play with 3 in Defence in Centre Defence.
“But it’s their decision. Not everyone likes people’s decisions and you have to respect them for that.
Parlor is curious about White’s mentality if he were called up in a situation where Southgate is no longer England’s manager.
“It will be attractive to see what happens if Gareth leaves and the new manager arrives,” he continued.
“Would he [White] say, ‘Listen, I’ve got to have me now and I need to be on this team,’ because then you know there’s a little bit of friction between Gareth, Steve Holland, whoever is in the scenes?
“That would be the telltale sign. “
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