2 winners and 2 losers now Ben White is once again back with England

On Friday morning, ahead of the upcoming international break, Thomas Tuchel named his England squad. The list contains five Arsenal players, which is more representatives than Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham have combined, even with Bukayo Saka sidelined.

Ezri Konsa, Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Eberechi Eze were not really surprise call ups, but Benjamin White's name did raise a few eyebrows. The 29 year old has just six caps to his name, but could add to that against Croatia at Wembley and then Spain in Madrid next week.

So, we asses two winners and two losers following this news.

Winner: Thomas Tuchel

If we have learnt one thing about Thomas Tuchel since he was appointed England manager, it is that he very much has courage in his convictions. The German blocks out external noise and makes whatever decisions he believes is best for the team.

As we'll come on to later, white was a controversial choice when he was recalled in March, and he would have been in both squads subsequently, including the World Cup, had it not been for injury. Thus, despite pressure from outside, Tuchel is very much sticking with what he believes.

Loser: Trent Alexander-Arnold

A theme of Tuchel's tenure is certain players are his favourites and certain others, Cole Palmer for example, are very much on the outside looking in. Well, for the most part, Trent Alexander-Arnold has fallen into the latter category, left out of the World Cup squad, despite a dearth of right-back options.

The Real Madrid man was recalled last month, starting both matches against Czechia, but Tuchel and his club manager José Mourinho both clearly remain unconvinced. Here, with White, Djed Spence, Jarell Quansah and Konsa in this squad, it seems unlikely that Alexander-Arnold will feature much.

Winner: Jurriën Timber

Right now, both White and Jurriën Timber are fit, a rare position for Mikel Arteta to find himself in, given that it's usually been just one or the other. Following the last international break against Leeds, with the Dutchman recovering from injury, it was a refreshed White who got the nod. This time, when Arsenal return to action at Newcastle, both will be on an equal playing field.

Loser: Brainless England fans

As already mentioned, White is not the most popular figure among many England fans. By coming off the bench against Uruguay in March, this was the defender's first international outing since appearing against Côte d'Ivoire four years earlier. However, his return was roundly booed, as was his goal 12 minutes later, tapping home from close-range.

The narrative is that White should never be picked for England, after he walked out on his country during the Qatar World Cup, following a falling out with Gareth Southgate's assistant Steve Holland.

White was not going to play at that tournament anyway, so if that grudge is still held against him, well that tells you more about those fans than White himself. Plenty are going to be annoyed if the Arsenal defender features at Wembley on Thursday, which you love to see.

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