Arsenal defender Ben White appears doomed to be a topic of fascination in an industry he doesn’t always find fascinating.
Ben White has been under intense scrutiny following manager Gareth Southgate’s remarks that he doesn’t want to play for England.
What we know for sure is that Ben White was sent home early from the World Cup in Qatar. Reports suggest there was a dispute with England assistant manager Steve Holland at that time. There are also assertions that White didn’t want to travel with the team if he wasn’t going to play.
However, why exactly he was sent home and why he hasn’t been selected for England since, remains unconfirmed.
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The reaction to the fact White doesn’t want to play for England has been over the top. It has been allowed to be over the top because there were already doubts about him.
Arsenal fans love him, but everybody else isn’t sure what to make of White. This is largely because of his disinterested demeanor in post match interviews.
The fact he once said he doesn’t watch football in his spare time during one of those disinterested interviews has created an impression that he doesn’t like football, or doesn’t care about it.
This obviously cannot be true, because you don’t play for Arsenal if you don’t care about football. There will be film directors who don’t watch a lot of films, musicians who don’t spend all their time listening to music. White is the same. It’s a job, and you don’t have to be a fanatic to be good at your job. By all accounts he is one of the hardest workers at Arsenal, so why does he appear so indifferent publicly?
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His demeanor in interviews is probably nothing more than the fact he doesn’t enjoy being interviewed. All introverts understand that if you don’t tell people about yourself, those people might fill in the gaps themselves and this is what has happened to Ben White.
It’s no coincidence Arsenal released a loved-up video announcing his new contract the same day Southgate spoke about him. Until we find out what happened in Qatar, or he plays for England again, these questions will follow him.
At this point, it’s safe to say that won’t happen under Southgate’s leadership. Until something changes, one of the best right backs in the Premier League will not be an England international.
