Ben Foster has rallied round behind Arsenal defender Ben White in wake of his alleged refusal to link up with the England squad this month.
The retired goalkeeper told The Cycling GK podcast that the Gunners ace has been “one of the best right-backs in the Premier League this season”.
Foster also urged people to put themselves in White‘s shoes regarding his purported decision not to accept the latest Three Lions call-up, praising and respecting his call.
On Thursday, current England manager Gareth Southgate claimed that White had made himself unavailable for selection for this month’s friendlies.
Speaking at his press conference after the squad announcement, Southgate said Arsenal sporting director Edu told him White did not want to be considered.
Predictably, this has caused plenty of reaction across the pundit and football fan world, with pretty much everyone having an opinion on the £50million Arsenal man’s alleged stance.
Ben Foster respects Ben White decision to turn down England call-up
Foster delivered one of the most reasonable and empathetic takes on the situation, drawing from his own experiences of being in and around the England setup.
“It’s hard to know exactly what Ben White is like as a character,” said Foster. “There’s been loads of stories floating around before about the fact that he doesn’t particularly like football away from it.
“Obviously when he turns up to his day job at Arsenal he trains very well, same on a Saturday afternoon. He’s been one of the best right-backs in the Premier League this season, it’s as simple as that.
“But when it comes to all the other stuff I get the vibe that he doesn’t really enjoy it all, he doesn’t like the show of it all, especially going away with England.”
Foster then went on to discuss when he refused an England call-up during his playing career, preferring instead to spend the international break with his then new-born children.
He then spoke about White again, saying: “You’ve got to put yourself in Ben White’s shoes.
“If he doesn’t like new environments, new people, you know, he might be an anxious character… you just don’t know what these sort of people are like.
“So I’m with him. If he if he enjoys these international breaks just getting away from it relaxing, then then power to you mate!”
Respecting Ben White’s decision is the grown-up thing to do – opinion
It’s refreshing to hear a nuanced, reasonable and empathetic discussion on the White story amid a host of commentators who just went straight for the ‘outrage’ button.
Obviously playing for England is a huge source of pride, and White made this clear after he made his debut. However, you just don’t know what is going on behind the scenes, or in a player’s personal life.
With that in mind, the grown-up thing to do is to respect the Arsenal man’s decision, supporting him and also whoever takes to the pitch for England during the international break and during the Euros.
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