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Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has claimed that Gunners defender Ben White won't be too fazed by not being called up to England's squad.
White was a notable omission from Gareth Southgate's 25-man squad for their upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy (March 23) and Ukraine (March 26). The former Brighton & Hove Albion defender has been in fine form while playing as a makeshift right-back this season. He has scored one goal and provided two assists in 35 games.
However, White didn't feature at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with England at the end of last year. He was also sent home early from the competition after reportedly falling out with Southgate's assistant Steve Holland.
Parlour told talkSPORT that White has surprised many with his performances at right-back:
"I think Ben White has been the surprise of Arsenal, really, because at right-back, nobody expected him to play at right-back."
He continued by touching on the apparent spat between the Arsenal man and the England coaching staff during the World Cup:
"But obviously, something has gone wrong at the World Cup, hasn't it? Something's gone wrong there. Why did he go home? Something's happened there, I don't know whether he said 'you're picking players instead of me, why am I here?' and they fell out."
Parlour added that clashes between players and coaches aren't a rarity, but if White doesn't come back into Southgate's plans, he won't be too fussed:
"That happens in football, you don't always get on with your managers. If he has fallen out with Gareth, he probably won't get another opportunity, which I don't think Ben will be too concerned about."
White has earned four international caps for England. Southgate handed him his debut in a 1-0 friendly win over Austria in June 2021.
Arsenal's Jorginho reacts to his side crashing out of the Europa League
Arsenal were sent packing from the Europa League last 16 after a 5-3 penalty shootout defeat to Sporting CP on Thursday (March 16). The two sides played out an enthralling 3-3 draw on aggregate before Ruben Amorim's side triumphed at the Emirates.
Jorginho reacted to the Gunners' exit from the European competition by looking forward to their 11 upcoming league fixtures. The Italian dubbed them 11 finals as they pursue their first league title since 2004. He posted on his Instagram account:
"We win together, we lose together and it’s time to stick together. Because we have to move forward, we have 11 finals to play and everyone have to look in the same direction."
Arsenal are top of the Premier League table and have a five-point cushion over Manchester City. They will next face Crystal Palace on Sunday (March 19).
