Ben White was called up by Thomas Tuchel for recent friendlies for England against Uruguay and Japan, but he was booed by fans at Wembley in a frosty reception
Ben White was booed during England’s game against Uruguay(Image: Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta insists that while he didn’t hear England supporters jeering Ben White recently, the defender came back to Arsenal in positive spirits. The full-back was selected by Thomas Tuchel as part of a 35-man Three Lions squad to face Uruguay and Japan in a couple of friendlies at the end of March.
It signalled the conclusion of an almost four-year international absence for White, who stepped away from playing for his country during the 2022 World Cup following a reported disagreement with Steve Holland – an assistant to Gareth Southgate.
However, the 28-year-old’s reunion with his country didn’t quite unfold as hoped. Despite netting against Uruguay, England were ultimately held to a 1-1 stalemate by the South American side at Wembley, while Tuchel’s men were also humiliatingly dealt a 1-0 defeat by Japan in their final fixture before this summer’s World Cup.
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White was also jeered by sections of the England faithful in the capital when he came onto the pitch against Uruguay and his name was announced over the stadium’s PA system – seemingly in reaction to his prolonged absence from the squad.
Southgate also revealed in 2024 that White had requested not to be considered as part of his European Championships squad, despite the manager noting that he would have otherwise been selected on merit due to his performances with Arsenal. Upon his return to Arsenal following the latest round of matches, White appeared completely unfazed by the hostile reception he received at Wembley.
When quizzed about the jeering during his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup clash with Southampton, Arteta said: “The volume was down, so I could not hear that.
“I could just see a big smile on his face and the way he came back from the national team and the good things that he was telling everybody about, the group, about the meetings that they had, about Thomas and everybody.
“So that’s great to hear because when you send a player to a national team, you really want to bring back a better player, a player that is happy, a player that is available and fit. And that was certainly Ben’s case.”
It comes as White looks set to play a significant role in Arsenal’s FA Cup quarter-final showdown at St Mary’s this weekend, with the two sides meeting at 8pm. Arteta confirmed that Piero Hincapie will be sidelined due to a knock sustained during Ecuador’s recent friendly against Morocco, while Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze also remain on the treatment table with their own injuries.
On a brighter note, however, the Spanish boss revealed that both Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard are back in the frame for the trip down to the south coast. Discussing the international break, which created difficulties with new injuries, Arteta said: “I think when a player is fit and able to play, he has to play, and I think it makes us so proud that we have that many players in the national team.
“The players are desperate to play with the national team, and we know how important every time that they are together and the time that they spend in preparation means to them. We are fully supportive of that, and when we can do it, we do it.”
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