Ben White had been back in the England set-up for barely two months when a knee injury against West Ham in May ended his season and killed any chance of travelling to the United States for the World Cup. The 29-year-old right-back has now described what happened next, in his first extended comments on the subject.
“So I had a cry around the pitch when it happened and focused on my career,” White told the Mirror, recalling the moment the tournament slipped away from him.
The admission lands the day before Tuchel’s side face Croatia at Wembley. White is back in the 25-man squad after being recalled this month, with Tuchel describing him as a standout at Arsenal in a position where England have been short on fit options.
A long road back, one short comeback
White’s path back has been unusually long. He left the England camp in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, and did not play for the national team again under Gareth Southgate. Tuchel recalled him in March for two friendlies, more than three years after his departure.
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The return itself, on 27 March at Wembley against Uruguay, produced one of the strangest 15-minute cameos in recent England memory. White was booed by sections of the crowd when he came on as a substitute. He then got the final touch on a Harvey Barnes effort to put England ahead in the 81st minute, before a VAR review found he had fouled Federico Viñas in the area. Federico Valverde converted the penalty and the match finished 1-1.
“I came on and obviously get booed. Then I score. Then I give away a pen. So it was obviously full of emotions that night, and it was a good night,” White told the Mirror of the evening.
What he will not say
White has still not spelt out exactly why he left Qatar in 2022, and he has made clear he does not plan to. He said the communication at the time was poor and that several things had happened, but he was not willing to “throw anyone under the bus” and argued that fans who booed him in March were missing the full picture.
He added that, at 25 and looking back, he would probably make the same call today.
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Knee, recovery, squad
The injury that ruled him out of the summer was a significant medial knee ligament problem, picked up in Arsenal’s match against West Ham on 10 May and confirmed by subsequent scans. It ended his club season before the Champions League final and ruled him out of Tuchel’s World Cup plans.
He is now fit again and in line for another England cap under Tuchel. England play Croatia at Wembley on Thursday 12 November, kick-off at 7.45pm local time, before travelling to Madrid to face Spain on Sunday 15 November.
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