Ben White: Former Leeds United star's absence from England squad explained by Gareth Southgate

The 26-year-old has been rewarded for his impressive form at Arsenal with a new deal, making him a notable omission from the latest Three Lions squad.

White was called up to the England squad for the 2022 World Cup, although left the camp for personal reasons and has not featured at international level since. After confirming his squad for friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, Southgate explained White’s absence.

He said: “Clearly, on form, I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t deserve to be in. We had a call from Edu [Arsenal’s sporting director] last week to say that Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads at this time.

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"For me, that’s a great shame. He’s a player I really like. He’s a player that we took to the Euros when he was at Brighton. We took him to the World Cup. I spoke to him post-Qatar because I was keen to pick him and there was clearly reticence on his side.

"I don’t know fully why that is. But I have to respect that. I want to leave the door open for him because he’s a good player and I think he’s a player that can make a difference for England.”

White spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Leeds, playing a key role as the Whites clinched the Championship title. He returned to parent club Brighton & Hove Albion following the conclusion of his loan spell before making a move to Arsenal.