England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his intention to offer Arsenal defender Ben White a chance to revive his international career. This comes after White has not represented England since an unexpected exit from the 2022 World Cup and declined the opportunity to return under former boss Gareth Southgate.
White's absence from the national team was surrounded by rumors of a disagreement with assistant manager Steve Holland. However, with Tuchel now leading the squad, he is eager to extend an olive branch to White and provide him with a fresh start.
The German manager is keen on having conversations with White about his potential return. At 27 years old, White still has many productive years ahead of him in football, and it seems that Tuchel believes he could be a valuable asset for England moving forward.
Roadblocks ahead
However, there are some hurdles in this plan. Unfortunately for both parties involved, Tuchel will not have the opportunity to observe White in action anytime soon due to injury concerns. The versatile defender had been struggling with injuries earlier this season which led him into surgery during November's international break.
England manager, Thomas Tuchel, said:
"I will reach out to him, it should be clean and a clean start and a clear narrative,"
"It starts from January. I will be in the stadiums from January. I will also not distract the players and they should just know, 'OK, the boss is there from January'. Then I will of course try to speak to them, but also be respectful to the schedule that they have, because schedule is busy in January, especially in the Premier League."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided updates on this situation stating that recovery would take "months". This means that any immediate plans for reintegrating White into the national team will have to be put on hold until he fully recovers.
Despite these setbacks, it appears that there is hope for Ben White’s future in English football under Thomas Tuchel’s leadership. While fans may need patience as they wait for his return post-injury recovery, they can look forward optimistically knowing that their favorite player might once again don an England jersey and represent their country at an international level. This development serves as a reminder that in sports, just like in life, second chances are possible and sometimes all it takes is a fresh perspective and new leadership.
