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Alan Shearer and Gary Neville are in agreement that Arsenal star Ben White deserves to be named in the England World Cup squad.
THE LOWDOWN: HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED SQUAD
England boss Gareth Southgate is scheduled to release his squad list on November 10. He released his 55-man provisional list back in October but the names on the list have been guarded like the entrance codes to the World Bank’s vault.
While uncertainty continues to surround Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gary Neville, along with a few others, have asked that Southgate go with other right back options in Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker, while considering Arsenal defender Ben White as a back up.
Though a centreback, White has performed excellently well in the right back position for Arsenal due to squad fitness problems and tactical decisions by manager Mikel Arteta.
The former Brighton and Hove Albion man has lots of competition for the centreback role in England but Neville and others believes he could be useful to Southgate just as he is to Arteta on the right hand side of England’s defence.
THE LATEST: JOINT CALLS FOR WHITE’S INCLUSION
Shearer has now echoed Neville’s thoughts on the issue and joined his voice to the numerous calls to give White a call-up to the England squad.
In his column for The Athletic, Shearer wrote: “Having a 26-man squad feels like a luxury and definitely makes life easier for Gareth.
“Tournament football can be strange. Get a good start against Iran, pick up confidence in the other games, and the snowball effect comes into play, flattening weaknesses, and then in those circumstances, you never know, but I think the way his defence is shaping up — or rather the opposite — is where he’ll be having trouble sleeping.
“It’s not just about questionable fitness — it’s about form, too. With Walker, it’s fitness. With Harry Maguire, it’s form and a lack of game time — one start in the league for Manchester United since August. It’s form for Eric Dier, Luke Shaw, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Kieran Trippier must be one of the first defenders on the team sheet at the moment, while Ben White is full of belief at Arsenal, but there are some big calls to be made here.”
Jamie Carragher also chipped in on the conversation to expressly state that White, alongside James Maddison of Leicester City, need to be included in the squad.
THE VERDICT: WIN-WIN SITUATION
White has impressed enough to be included in the England squad but if he doesn’t make the squad, he would be well-rested for the second half of the season.
It would be interesting to see what Southgate has in mind but White should be called up to the Three Lions official squad.
