Arsenal: Thomas Tuchel holds Ben White talks before naming first England squad | OneFootball

Gunners defender has not played for the Three Lions since leaving their 2022 World Cup camp in Qatar

Discussions: Arsenal defender Ben White has held talks with new England manager Thomas Tuchel

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England head coach Thomas Tuchel has held talks with Arsenal's Ben White as he prepares to name his first Three Lions squad at the start of next month.

White has been in a self-imposed exile from the England set up since leaving the camp midway through their 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar.

Tuchel previously said that he would reach out to the 27-year-old and talks are now understood to have taken place between the pair, although it remains to be seen if White, who has only just returned from two months on the sidelines after knee surgery, changes his stance or makes the squad.

White has excelled at right-back since joining Arsenal from Brighton in a transfer worth up to £50million in 2021 and can also play at centre-back or in midfield - versatility which is likely to appeal to Tuchel.

The German’s first games in charge of England are the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia at Wembley on March 21 and 24 respectively, and he is likely to name his squad for those matches in around a fortnight.

Tuchel is understood to have held talks with a number of English hopefuls since starting the job as Gareth Southgate's permanent successor on January 1.

Tottenham's James Maddison, who has not featured for England since the pre-Euro 2024 warm-up game against Bosnia and Herzegovina last June, has already revealed that he has spoken to the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich boss.

"He has touched base," Maddison said on Saturday. "I think he was reaching out to a lot of players who would be under selection, probably quite a big pool of players that the FA have identified.

“I’m hungry to be part of that, I feel like I’m in good form, my numbers are pretty good. There’s not too many midfielders who can outscore and out-assist me, especially now when I’m feeling good as well, feeling sharp, I know I can affect most games.

“It’s just about continuing to do that and like I always say, if I play at that level for Tottenham, then the rest will take care of itself because I have a really strong self-belief.”