Thomas Tuchel reveals Ben White’s stance on England return following Arsenal star’s Three Lions boycott

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is open to returning to the England squad after previously making himself unavailable following a well-documented dispute at the 2022 World Cup.

White, 26, has not featured for the Three Lions since leaving the Qatar camp early after a reported falling out with England assistant coach Steve Holland. Gareth Southgate later revealed that the defender had made it clear he did not want to be considered for selection under his management.

However, new England boss Tuchel, who took over in January, has since held discussions with White about a potential return and confirmed that the Arsenal star is now willing to be part of the national team setup once again.

However, Tuchel has not named White in his first squad ahead of this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia at Wembley. 

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Tuchel said: ‘He’d love to be back in the squad. I just think it’s a bit too early now given the seriousness of the injury that he had.

‘I’m delighted he’s back in back-to-back trainings. Huge compliments to the medical and performance staff of the FA.

‘We are honoured speaking to him, speaking to Ben, delighted that he’s back on the bench.

‘Now it’s just a question of getting more minutes, more rhythm. He wants to be back.’

Though there was no space for While on this occasion, both Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford were handed returns. 

Myles Lewis-Skelly was also been named in his maiden Three Lions squad, while Newcastle’s Dan Burn, 32, was included for the first time, as Mail Sport exclusively forecasted. 

Rashford makes his return to the England fold for the first time in a year, with Aston Villa team-mate Ollie Watkins a notable absence. 

England will kick off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaigns against Albania and Latvia.