Mikel Arteta has strongly defended Ben White after the Arsenal defender decided not to play for Gareth Southgate’s England squad, describing it as “brave”.

White has not played for England since withdrawing from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for “personal reasons” amid rumours he had a falling out with then-assistant coach Steve Holland. The

27-year-old has made just four appearances for the Three Lions, with his last game for the national team coming in March 2022. Thomas Tuchel has confirmed White wants to return to the England squad but he was left out of the squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Latvia and Albania.

White has only recently recovered from a knee injury that required surgery, which ruled him out of 21 games between November and February.

Former England captain Stuart Pearce told สมัครสมาชิก UFABET วันนี้ รับเครดิตฟรีทุกวัน : “The player who lets you down once “It can always disappoint you,” in reference to White’s case.

However, Arteta said: “It’s just someone’s opinion but I can tell you I was there and I know how Ben feels, why he made the decision he did and what he’s going through. “

It’s not about running away or abandoning the national team, it’s the opposite. He had the courage to face the truth and say, ‘I can’t cope at the moment and I’m not the best person to represent my country in that state of mind.’ “

I think it’s a brave decision and not every player would do that. A lot of players would choose to keep it quiet, let time pass and not talk about it anymore, but Ben has chosen to accept it and face it.”