England: Thomas Tuchel confirms why Ben White was not selected and why he will be in the future | OneFootball

The defender wants to play for England again since Gareth Southgate’s exit

The right-back left the squad midway through the tournament for personal reasons, with some reports claiming he fell out with former assistant manager Steve Holland.

White was not called up again by the then-England boss Gareth Southgate after that, and in March of last year, it was revealed White had made himself unavailable for selection.

The defender, however, is now ready to be recalled and Tuchel has revealed he is back in his thoughts.

But White has not been picked for the games with Andorra and Senegal next month, though, as he is about to become a father.

He was ready to be selected now [but] because of hopefully nice family reason that we don’t pick [him]

Thomas Tuchel on Ben White

“He made very strong progress and was involved in the latest matches of Arsenal, which I was very delighted to see,” said Tuchel.

“We had a talk and we decided that, at the moment, it is not the moment because he will become a father very soon. The baby is due to arrive in the exact date of the camp.

“This is his first child and we wish him and his wife all the best for that. We thought that, if he comes back, he should come back with a clear mind and a free mind, a full focus on football - which is now not the case.

“So, we decided together that this is not the time for him to come back. It is also that he played lately, but I think he can still - and this is the second reason - that he can still 10, 15, maybe 20 per cent increase in physical ability. Given the consensus, we decided that he is not with us.”

Asked if White is ready to return to England and be picked in the future, Tuchel said: “Yes, 100 per cent.

“He was ready. He was ready to be selected now - but there were two reasons.

“The main reason was because of family, because of hopefully nice family reason that we don’t pick [him].”