Danny Mills has slammed Ben White, insisting if he's not good enough to play centre-back for Arsenal then he can't play there for England.
White has found himself playing at right-back for the Gunners this term, with William Saliba and Gabriel being Mikel Arteta's preferred pairing. The former Brighton star had been first choice at the heart of the Arsenal defence last term, but Saliba has moved ahead of him in the pecking order.
The loss of his natural spot in the team comes with England facing a selection headache at centre-back with a number of players struggling for form. But Mills does not believe that White is a suitable option for the Three Lions, highlighting his move to right-back at club level as the reason for Gareth Southgate snubbing him.
“I think it’s really difficult in defence because there is a real lack of quality at centre-half. It’s a big issue. Lack of experience and quality in there. Maguire has been there, seen it, done it in big tournaments," Mills told talkSPORT.
"Stones picks up another injury. If he is not fit, you have to pick Dier, because who else is there? White isn’t good enough to play centre-back for Arsenal. Tomori and Guehi have six caps between them.
“You’re going into a major tournament. It’s not about playing scintillating football, it’s about not losing games. England will get out of the group and then it’s about beating the big teams. You need players you know who have experience in that."
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Mills insisted that defence is the biggest weak spot in the current England squad ahead of the World Cup. And he shot down White's hopes of making the squad for Qatar by claiming he is not of the required standard to play for the Three Lions.
“You can’t throw Tomori and Guehi into that. Maguire hasn’t been playing so you need to give him game time. He missed a load of games leading up to the Euros and got into the team of the tournament," Mills added.
“Defensively, we are weak. A couple of injuries and we are in serious trouble. Maguire has to play because there aren’t the options. They’re [the other options] not international quality. The step up is massive, absolutely huge.
“You can’t just throw untried, untested players in. Especially in a partnership. I think Coady is next on the list. You know what you’re going to get, he’s got a few caps, he’s solid, he’s steady, he’s a good lad, he’s a good pro.
"He won’t cause issues if he’s not getting picked.”
White is currently facing a race against time to be fit for Arsenal's derby day clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
He picked up a knock in the win over Brentford just ahead of the international break, though had been left out of the England squad even before that game.
