Carsley reveals White’s verdict on England return with interim boss ‘not planning’ to make contact

England interim manager Lee Carsley has given an update about Arsenal star Ben White’s international future after he was not included in his first squad.

White ruled himself out of England duty in 2022 and missed important tournaments under Gareth Southgate. This included the World Cup after the knockout stage and the Euro 2024 final loss earlier in the summer against Spain.

Carsley has not made contact with the 26-year-old and has expressed it is down to the player if he wants to play or not.

Speaking to reporters after England’s 2-0 win over Finland, Carsley said he had “not planned” to contact White. This follows after a rumoured disagreement between Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland and White.

There may be a new man in charge now with two wins from two, but Carsley is expecting the Arsenal defender to make his own decision on his England future.

When asked about White’s availability with the England shirt he said: “ I’ve not planned to [contact him], no. We spoke about this in the squad selection. Every player that’s eligible to play for England is in with a chance. As far as I was aware, he was asked to be not contacted. So, if that changes, then that’ll change.

“I think it is important that we’ve got real competition all over the pitch and the more players we’ve got available to pick from, the better it is.”

Even if White is recalled to International duty, his main priority is competing for his place with Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold. The full-back has impressed in his opening two games under Carsley and is even in the running to keep his place over veteran Kyle Walker in the future.

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Carsley has given updates on his England future plans with star players like Cole Palmer and Phil Foden and if he can solve England’s long-term midfield issue.

He said, “ I think we have produced them. It’s us just getting our mindset as coaches to understand that, to play a player like that you are going to forsake some of the physicality but you are going to have the ball. A lot of it is just the belief bit. I am not saying we didn’t in the past but I definitely went a different way with our team selection. Players like Angel, like Phil, like Cole, they are more than capable of playing in central positions and controlling games.”

Carsley has impressed in his first two games as interim England boss and some fans want to see him take over on a full time basis. The next International break is in October so Carsley has just over a month to plan his next games.