Ben White has made himself unavailable to play for England (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal fans are convinced the club’s Twitter admin has taken a sly dig at England manager Gareth Southgate with a well-timed post hailing Three Lions outcast Ben White.
England laboured to a 1-1 draw against Denmark in Frankfurt last night and although the result all-but guaranteed their progress to the last 16, the nature of the performance sparked genuine concern.
How Southgate could have benefited from the presence of a defender boasting White’s versatility and composure on the ball.
The former Brighton star has been converted from a composed, ball-playing centre-half into a rampaging right-back by Mikel Arteta, who counts White as one of his most trusted lieutenants on the pitch.
White, however, is currently on holiday with his wife, instead of in Germany with his club colleagues Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale.
The 26-year-old hasn’t represented his country since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when he flew home early from the tournament for ‘personal reasons’, according to Southgate.
Subsequent reports, denied by England, claim White was involved in an argument with Southgate’s assistant, Steve Holland, and has no intention of playing for England again while they remain at the helm.
Ben White is enjoying a relaxing holiday after making himself unavailable for England (Picture: Instagram)
The England boss attempted to build bridges ahead of March’s international friendlies, but his offer of an olive branch was rejected out of hand by White.
Amid the struggles of Southgate’s disjointed side, meanwhile, Arsenal fans took great delight in the timing of a post in praise of White’s sensational season.
Underneath a thread which started with the words ‘Consistency. Courage. Class. 10 times Ben White worked wonders this season’ one fan simply wrote ‘someone please tag Gareth Southgate’.
Another Gooner wrote ‘We know what you’re doing admin!’ while another added ’11: his brilliant performance at the Euros… oh wait’.
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