# Ben White left out of England’s March 2024 squad: The real reason revealed

URL: https://technosports.co.in/ben-white-left-out-of-englands-march-2024-squad/  
Published: 2024-03-14  
Updated: 2024-03-14  
Author: Arsh Das

England’s squad for the March international break has been named, and it doesn’t include [Ben White](https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1768232859452522686?s=20). England manager Gareth Southgate has explained that the Arsenal defender requested to not be selected for the coming games, after his absence.

White was reportedly at odds with Southgate after [not being played at the 2022 World Cup](https://technosports.co.in/ben-white-breaks-silence-after-engla/), which caused his exit in the middle of their campaign. He hasn’t played for the national team since, clearly signalling something wrong between himself and the coaching staff.

## Ben White misses out on England squad: The real reason

![ben white](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Arsenals-Ben-White-in-a-tussle-with-Manchester-Citys-Josko-Gvardiol-Image-via-The-Athletic-1024x720.webp)

“Clearly on form I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t deserve to be in. We had a call from Edu last week [and he] said Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads at this time,” Southgate told reporters on Tuesday.

“For me that is a great shame. He is a player we took to the Euros, a player we took to the World Cup and I spoke to him post-Qatar because I wanted to pick him. He is not available to us and there is no issue between us at all and I also should say there is never any issue with [coach] Steve Holland because that has been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that. I want that door wide open. He would be in this squad but he’s not available to us and I have to focus on who can help us.”

At Brighton, he was prominently featuring as a central defender before his move to Arsenal. Since joining the Gunners, he has been playing as a right-back, and has adapted very well to the hybrid system that Mikel Arteta plays him in.

Southgate will be without a number of right-sided defenders for the upcoming friendlies. Kieran Trippier, Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all been ruled out with injury, leaving Kyle Walker as the only natural option. Ben White would have been a great addition, but his reluctance to play for the national team will be a significant problem, especially if he doesn’t want to play at the Euros.