Gareth Southgate's decision to omit in-form Arsenal defender Ben White from his latest England squad has been called into question by many onlookers. Among those is former Three Lions goalkeeper Ben Foster, who has criticized Southgate for ignoring the high-quality performances put in by White at the Emirates Stadium this season.
White has really made the Arsenal right-back berth his own this campaign, most recently playing an instrumental role in the Gunners' 4-1 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday. That performance also demonstrated his on-pitch relationship with compatriot Bukayo Saka, with the pair tormenting Palace's left-hand side.
However, England are incredibly fortunate to have several first-rate options for the right-back position. Southgate's squad for the March internationals instead featured Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker, with White joining Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold in missing the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
READ MORE: What Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko did with Chelsea ace Mykhailo Mudryk in Ukraine training
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Foster, who won eight caps for his country, suggests there may be more than meets the eye with regards to White's snub. "Something has gone on there for sure," he said.
"Every week he is doing it. He’s getting involved in goals. He’s getting involved in assists for fun. He’s playing really, really well, Arsenal are on fire and these are the sort of players that when you are naming your England squad, you should be picking these players in form."
White was among the England stars to travel to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, which was the last time the national side met up for international duty. However, he departed his teammates ahead of their last-16 clash with Senegal, with the FA citing "personal reasons" as to his departure.
It was later revealed that White reportedly had a bust-up with England assistant coach Steve Holland, while reports also suggested the Gunners full-back became unhappy in the camp and struggled to mix with his fellow teammates. When asked about these claims at the time, Southgate said: "We explained why Ben left the camp and I think it's important that that is respected, really."
Although Foster is unsure what exactly has gone on behind the scenes, he believes something must have happened to cause the manager's selection choices. "Whatever happened in the World Cup happened… I’ve got no scoop on this," the shot-stopper added. "But something [else] has gone on there. It’s just not right. [Gareth Southgate is] selecting Harry Maguire and players like that. It just screams of a fall out."
Upon naming his latest squad, Southgate explained this is the hardest position for him to pick. He said: "With Ben [White] and Trent [Alexander-Arnold], we have three boys in at right full-backs and we have got them just ahead of those two. We're blessed in that position with depth of talent. It is the hardest position to pick, albeit it's never straightforward criteria, and it's always shifting around a little bit on form as well.
"Kyle [Walker] and Tripps [Kieran Trippier] started games at the World Cup and Reece [James] coming back is another top player so, yes, we would love to have that depth in every position on the field really."
READ NEXT:
The eight games Erling Haaland could miss with groin injury to hand Arsenal Premier League title
Arsenal issue major Takehiro Tomiyasu injury update as Mikel Arteta dealt title race blow
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal get last laugh over Antonio Conte as Tottenham make major sack decision
Barcelona star Gavi could become Mikel Arteta's surprise Arsenal transfer this summer
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
