Former England goalkeeper Ben Foster has hit out at Gareth Southgate for ignoring the recent form of Arsenal defender Ben White.
White, 25, has excelled for the Gunners this term after being nudged into a right-back role and was instrumental in their impressive 4-1 win against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
The former Brighton centre-back has also struck up a tidy understanding with Gunners talisman Bukayo Saka down the right flank in an Arsenal side that looks destined to win their first Premier League title since 2004. But despite his recent displays, White was a surprise omission from the 25-man squad that Southgate announced last week ahead of England's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
And Foster, who won eight caps for his country, believes that there is more than meets the eye regarding White's current situation. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former Manchester United shot-stopper said of White's snub: "Something has gone on there for sure.
"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 did head to the World Cup with England back in November but returned early from Qatar for "personal reasons", while a report at the time claimed that White had been involved in an alleged bust-up with assistant boss Steve Holland.
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And although Foster is unsure on what has gone on behind the scenes, he believes there has been a fallout. He added: "Whatever happened in the World Cup happened… I’ve got no scoop on this. 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."
At last week's squad reveal, Southgate insisted that White's absence is due to the fact that, much like Trent Alexander-Arnold, he is simply behind the likes of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James in the international pecking order.
"With Ben… it’s similar with Ben and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] really, the three boys who are in as right full-backs we’ve got them just ahead of those two," Southgate explained.
"We’re blessed in that position with the depth of talent. It’s the hardest position to pick, albeit it’s never straightforward criteria and it’s always shifting around a little bit on form as well. But Kyle [Walker] and Tripps [Trippier] were obviously the ones who played during the World Cup, started the games during the World Cup, have been consistent, and Reece coming back is another top player. We’d love to have that depth in every position on the field."
