Mikel Arteta believes Gareth Southgate should recall Ben White to the England squad for their March internationals, having earned a call-up with his top-draw displays with Arsenal.
Southgate will name his Three Lions squad for friendlies against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast later this month on Thursday. The fixtures on March 26 and 29 will be England’s first since sealing a place at the 2022 World Cup by topping their qualifying group in November.
White has not represented his country since the centre-half earned his maiden caps in pre-Euro 2020 friendlies last June. Southgate included the 24-year-old in an England set-up for the first time for the European Championship, but chose against any competitive minutes.
Arsenal later sealed White’s £50m transfer from Brighton on the back of England reaching the Euro 2020 final. And the defender has proven a mainstay of Arteta’s plans, making 29 appearances in all competitions and only missing two Premier League fixtures last August.
Mikel Arteta feels Arsenal star Ben White should be ‘rewarded’ with England call
White has pleased Arteta with the two-cap England international’s efforts both on and off the pitch since moving to Arsenal. The Spaniard would not describe him as the Three Lions’ best centre-half, but is confident the Poole-born enforcer deserves Southgate’s attention.
“I don’t know,” he said, via football.london. “We are really happy with his performances, how he has adapted, what he brings to the team certainly. Hopefully, he can get rewarded because the way that he trains, he looks at himself and the performances that he’s having.
“He is certainly creating that attention from a lot of people.”
White has played the 10th-most minutes of any English centre-half in the Premier League so far this season. The Gunners star has amassed 1,980-minutes over his 22 outings under Arteta, which have helped the Emirates Stadium natives to keep 12 clean sheets to date.
Only Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has more clean sheets among all English Premier League defenders with 14. Wolves captain Conor Coady has the next-most among centre-backs with 11, ahead of teammate Max Kilman (10) and Tottenham’s Eric Dier (10).
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