METRO
Gareth Southgate says Ben White is behind three England rivals after he dropped the Arsenal defender from his squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers.
England will play their first games since the Qatar World Cup later this month, travelling to Italy on March 23 and hosting Ukraine three days later.
White was included in England’s 26-man World Cup squad at the end of last year but did not feature for the Three Lions before leaving Qatar prematurely for personal reasons.
The 25-year-old has continued to impress for Arsenal since the World Cup break, helping the Gunners move five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
White was signed as a centre-back but the emergence of Gabriel and William Saliba has seen the ex-Brighton star slot in at right-back, where England are blessed with several options.
As a result, Southgate says White is in a ‘similar’ position to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who also missed out due to competition from Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and the returning Reece James.
‘With Ben… it’s similar with Ben and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] really, the three boys who are in as right full-backs we’ve got them just ahead of those two,’ Southgate said.
