Arsenal star Ben White should be slapped with two-year England BAN after ‘spitting dummy out’, slams Three Lions icon
CHRIS WADDLE has demanded that Ben White is slapped with a two-year England ban for “spitting his dummy out”.
The Arsenal star has ended his international exile after walking out of Gareth Southgate’s World Cup camp in 2022 for “personal reasons”.
White’s last England game came three years ago.
And although injury has ruled him out of Thomas Tuchel’s first squad, the right-back is firmly in the German’s plans after the pair held peace talks.
However, former Three Lions star Waddle reckons White should not be allowed to waltz straight back in.
He feels the Arsenal ace made his own bed by refusing to play under Southgate.
And nobody should be able to pick and choose when they represent their country on the pitch.
Waddle, who won 62 caps, told 10bet: “No, I wouldn’t bring Ben White back in. He said he didn’t want to be picked again.
“He spat the dummy out, didn’t he? So now he’s alright to play. So, he wants to pick and choose his England career?
“Listen, you would never say you never want to play for England.
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“I would never have said that. I would have played if I was 50. So, modern day players who say that, I’m not being picked, so don’t pick me again, all of a sudden become available.
“For the time he didn’t play, he didn’t want to play, I would say, ‘Well, we’ll give you the same ban’.
“So if it was a year or two years, then I’d consider you in two years’ time. For me, you should never say no.
“Now, OK, if you don’t get on with the manager and you don’t like the style of play, you wouldn’t be picked anyway. But when you get a late call-up, you don’t say no.”
Waddle’s comments come days after Tuchel revealed White’s England U-turn.
The gaffer said: “He loves to be back in the squad but it is too early now for him given the seriousness of the injury.
“I am delighted that he is back in back-to-back trainings. We are monitoring the process.
“Now it is a question of getting more minutes and he has every chance and he wants to be back.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hailed White as “brave” for telling Tuchel he wants to play for England again.
Arteta noted: “What Ben did was very brave and not a lot of people would have done it. I was very involved in [White refusing to be called up].
“I know how Ben felt and it was very clear for me the reason why he made that decision.
“It wasn’t about [letting his country down]. It was about facing the situation and saying, ‘I can’t handle it now and I am not the best person to represent the country the way I feel right now’.
“So it was completely the opposite. What a lot of people would do is hide in that environment.”