No change there – Ben White’s England exile shows no sign of ending

England interim boss Lee Carsley has left the ball in Ben White’s court after the Arsenal defender missed out on his maiden squad.

White made himself unavailable for international duty in March but there had been an expectation the departure of Gareth Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland could open the door for the 26-year-old to return to the set-up.

However, Carsley’s much-changed group for the September matches with Republic of Ireland and Finland in the Nations League did not include White.

“So, as far as I’m aware, he wasn’t available for selection and nothing has changed in my two weeks of being here,” Carsley explained.

“That is where I am at. I have seen in some of the press reports he was open to it but it has gone no further. As far as I’m aware, there has been no change there.

“Any player that’s playing well in the Premier League, that’s playing week in, week out, especially at the level that Arsenal play at, is obviously going to be under consideration.

“But he wasn’t one based on what his wishes from the past (were).”

Asked if he hoped Arsenal right-back White would make the first move, Carsley admitted: “Well, that’s hypothetical, to be fair.

“I think it’s important that we recognise as well the strength of position. We’ve got some really, really strong players in that position, and that’s not even including maybe Reece James at the minute that’s out injured.

“He’s a player that I like. I watched him the other day at Villa, along with Bukayo (Saka), Declan (Rice) and Ollie Watkins, so he’s a player that I like.”

White has not featured in an England squad since the 2022 World Cup, where he returned early from Qatar for what the Football Association called ‘personal reasons’ but reports later emerged of an alleged bust-up with Holland.

Southgate denied any such fall-out back in March, when he had hoped to include the defender in an injury-hit squad for Euro 2024 warm-up friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

Versatile defender White was handed his England debut by Southgate against Austria in June 2021 and he then drafted him into the squad for that summer’s rearranged European Championship as a replacement for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.

White did not make an appearance in the run to the final, nor did he play a minute at the World Cup in Qatar.