England coach Gareth Southgate has provided reasons for dropping Arsenal defender Ben White from his squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers.
England has a date with Italy on March 23 before facing Ukraine three days later.
White did not play a single game in the World Cup despite being part of England’s 26-man World Cup squad.
However, the 25-year-old has continued to impress for the Gunners, helping them maintain a five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
White is originally a Centre-Back but plays as Right-Back where England is blessed with several options.
Southgate said there will be no space for White since he now plays 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 Chelsea star Reece James.
“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 told reporters on Thursday.
“It’s the hardest position to pick. But Kyle [Walker] and Tripps [Trippier] were obviously the ones who played during the World Cup and Reece coming back is another top player.”
