Thomas Tuchel defends 'standout' Arsenal star after England fan criticism

Thomas Tuchel believes Ben White’s previous decision to withdraw from England’s squad should be a ‘closed book’ (Shutterstock)

Thomas Tuchel has urged England supporters to stop booing Ben White and insists he has been a ‘standout’ player for Arsenal.

White made himself unavailable for England selection during Gareth Southgate’s reign after he left the squad during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

It is understood that White was involved in a bust-up with Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland during England’s World Cup campaign shortly before leaving the squad.

In March this year, White made his first appearance for England in four years as he came off the bench to score the opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley.

However, White was booed by a section of England supporters at Wembley for his decision to make himself unavailable for the Three Lions.

‘We were not happy about this,’ Tuchel said after announcing his latest England squad on Friday.

Ben White was booed by some England fans after making his first Three Lions appearance in four years (Getty)

‘We could understand the disappointment of the fans with what happened before but I think this is expressed now and this should be a closed book because I think everyone could also see the investment of Ben, the quality of Ben and how he presented himself in the March camp before the World Cup.

‘He did excellent, scored for us and then I think he committed a foul and we conceded. It was very eventful, not so easy to come back. When I speak to him, I always feel the hunger to come back, the excitement. He missed the last camp.

‘He is the standout player for Arsenal in a position where we struggle with injuries somehow and we have a lot of changes.

‘Trevoh Chalobah is not in camp so that makes maybe Jarell Quansah half a full-back and half a centre-back in camp and gives Ben the opportunity to impose himself again.