Lee Carsley does not plan to contact Ben White for England call-up

Ben White is not a very popular figure among the England fanbase. For some reason, they seem to believe that if you're eligible to play for England, it should be your number one dream.

But Ben White does not even watch football. He would much rather spend his free time relaxing and recuperating so he can focus on playing for Arsenal. As a fan of the England international team, I find it hilarious.

Especially considering White would not be selected for England, despite being one of the best defenders in the Premier League. For context, he travelled to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup and was not selected once, which probably put him off playing for England.

However, Gareth Southgate is not the England manager anymore and now Lee Carsley has stepped up, at least temporarily.

Lee Carsley does not plan to contact Ben White for England call-up

Speaking in a recent press conference, England manager Lee Carsley was asked whether or not Ben White was in his plans going forward. To which he replied that he respected Ben White's request to not be contacted, as per The Sun.

In his own words, Carsley said: "I've not planned to [speak to White], no. We spoke about this in the squad selection. Every player that is eligible to play for England is in with a chance. As far as I'm aware he asked to not be contacted. If that changes, that will change."

This is completely fair and well-judged from Carsley. He isn't shutting the door on Ben White but he also isn't disrespecting his professional boundaries by criticising his decision publicly.

From Arsenal's perspective, it's an absolute win if Ben White continues to reject international duty. While Arsenal would never, and should never block their players from playing for their countries, it does come with an injury risk. So, if White doesn't want to play for England, this is a good thing for us.

At least it avoids a Martin Odegaard 2.0 situation...

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