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Arsenal defender Ben White rejected the chance to represent England in the upcoming international break but isn’t the only player to do so.
White has been a mainstay in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team that currently sit top of the Premier League, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference and one point clear of Manchester City.
England have international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium as Gareth Southgate looks to give players the chance to secure their place in the EURO 2024 squad.
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Nevertheless, White has opted against representing the Three Lions with Southgate expressing his disappointment at the decision while squashing any notion of a falling out with coach Steve Holland.
Southgate said: “We, John McDermott and I, had a call from Edu (Arsenal sporting director) last week (and he) said Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads at this time. For me that is a great shame. He is a player we took to the Euros, a player we took to the World Cup and I spoke to him post-Qatar because I wanted to pick him.”
It’s unclear whether White will reject the chance to join the EURO squad if offered but he isn’t the only player to reject a call-up to the national team.
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Chris Sutton turned down the chance to play for England’s B team during Glenn Hoddle’s spell as manager which ultimately cost him the chance to play for the senior side again. On the rejection, Sutton said: “I phoned him up and said I wasn’t going to play for the B team, and he said I’d never play for England again. And you have to say he was right!”
David Bentley received a senior call-up during his best spell at Blackburn Rovers but failed to make it off the bench. He rejected the chance to join up with the U21s after the snub in order to focus on his club career.
Fan-favourite Micah Richards chose to play for Team GB at the 2012 Olympic Games rather than feature in Roy Hodgson’s EURO 2012. Richards was named on the standby list but would have been called up after an injury to Gary Cahill but he chose to play at the Olympic Games instead.
Ben Foster took a break from international football during Fabio Capello’s reign as manager but failed to inform the Italian he would no longer be considered for selection with Capello reportedly only finding out after reading Birmingham City’s website.
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After failing to play a single minute for his country between October 2009 and the eve of EURO 2012, Michael Carrick turned down Hodgson’s offer of a place in the England squad for the tournament. However, two months later he returned to the international fold and started four out of five England games.
Former Liverpool star Tom Ince declined a place in England U21’s European Championship squad citing his age. He helped the Three Lions qualify but didn’t want to be included in the final squad to give other youngsters the chance to experience the tournament he had already featured in years before.
Former Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater reportedly refused to help Southgate solve an injury crisis in November 2017, opting to stay and receive treatment at Stamford Bridge. He would never be called up again.
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Mason Greenwood opted against joining the senior squad in 2021 in order to focus on his development at Manchester United while Jude Bellingham requested to be rested during his time with Borussia Dortmund during a tough Bundesliga campaign. Reece James has also turned down an England call-up in the past to focus on his fitness at Chelsea.
Callum Hudson-Odoi rejected the chance to join up with the England U21 which left Southgate disappointed. He said: "By not being in the Under-21s he misses a bit of an opportunity to impress us and come across if we need players for training and those sorts of things."
Players can reject a call-up for a number of reasons and it won’t be the last time we see a player turn down the chance to wear the famous white shirt.
Featured Image Credit: Getty ImagesTopics: England, Ben White, Gareth Southgate, Euro 2024, Premier League, Arsenal