Gareth Southgate confirmed that defender Ben White refused to join the England team to prepare for two friendly matches against Brazil and Belgium.

During the press conference announcing the list yesterday, Southgate said that team Technical Director John McDermott received a call from Arsenal Sports Director Edu last week to inform him that White did not want to join the team. Southgate felt sorry for this decision, praising White as a class player and adding his name to the list for Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022.

White was called up to the England squad for the first time in 2021 and has only been on the field four times. The 26-year-old defender is on the list for Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022 but did not play a single minute. At the 2022 World Cup, he left the team for “personal reasons”, just a few days before the match against Senegal in the 1/8 round. Since then, he has not returned.

Southgate said he spoke with White after the 2022 World Cup and did not understand why the Arsenal defender was hesitant about returning to the team. The 53-year-old coach also denied that White had a disagreement with him or assistant Steve Holland, as rumored in the media. He revealed that many players had refused to join the team at different times, and left open the possibility of still calling White to attend Euro 2024 in Germany.

On the England squad, Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Newcastle striker Anthony Gordon were called up for the first time. Both are members of England’s U21 crowned Euro 2023. This season, Branthwaite became a key player for Everton and Gordon had nine goals and five assists in the Premier League.

Brentford’s Ivan Toney was also called up. The 27-year-old striker scored four goals in the Premier League after completing an eight-month suspension for betting. Jordan Henderson – a player currently playing for Ajax, and Joe Gomez – a defender with 24 appearances in the Premier League this season – are other notable returns.

On the contrary, Kalvin Phillips was left out after a forgettable time at Man City and a poor start at West Ham. Southgate admitted that he dropped Phillips because of his poor form and spoke to the 28-year-old midfielder. Meanwhile, Jack Grealish is absent due to injury.