Ben White’s decision not to play for England is not detrimental to the Three Lions’ push for major international silverware.
That is the view of former Aston Villa and Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore, who believes the Arsenal star’s decision to snub Gareth Southgate’s call-up was ‘a disgrace’.
The defender, according to The Athletic, doesn’t want to represent his country for several reasons, including finding it difficult being further down in Southgate’s pecking order.
Confirming the 26-year-old’s stance, Southgate, after announcing his latest England squad earlier this week for this month’s upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, as quoted by Sky Sports, said: “On form, I can’t sit here and say [White] doesn’t deserve to be in. John McDermott had a call from Edu last week to say Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads at this time.”
Stan Collymore on ‘disgraceful’ Ben White
And reacting to the shocking news, Collymore thinks the Arsenal defender’s decision to snub his country should see him excluded from all future selections, regardless of which manager is in charge.
“What a disgrace,” he said in an exclusive interview.
“If every player took that same stance, international football would be chaos and probably couldn’t happen. Being called up to represent your county is an honour, you should want to do it regardless of whether you’re the first name on the manager’s teamsheet or the last.
“[…] I don’t think it’s a great loss to England. White is having a decent season for Arsenal, but I don’t think he’s good enough anyway.”
Man City duo better options?
Going on to suggest White isn’t as good as other options, Collymore added: “Credit where it’s due — he is certainly versatile — he can play at right back, centre-back and even drift into midfield, but there is no way he’s going to get in ahead of Kyle Walker or John Stones, both of whom can also play those roles.
“So for me, thanks but no thanks, Mr White. We know you want to be a nailed-on starter, but you can’t always get exactly what you want, especially at international level and especially in tournament football. It’s a squad game, and if you’re lucky enough to get a chance, it’s on you to take it, but he’s refused the opportunity, so in my opinion, he should never be called up again — regardless of who is in charge.”
Do you agree with Collymore? — Is White’s exclusion detrimental to England, or are they just as strong without him? — Let us know in the comments below.