Ally McCoist holds nothing back on Ben White's potential England U-turn as Thomas Tuchel 'begins talks' over return

Ally McCoist has made his feelings clear on Ben White's potential return to the England setup amid reports that the Arsenal defender has 'held talks' with Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel.

White has not been selected in an England squad since leaving the Three Lions camp early during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Telegraph claimed in March that an exchange between the defender and then-England assistant Steve Holland led to his withdrawal.

It was alleged that Holland responded that White 'was not sufficiently interested in football' when the 25-year-old said he did not know the answer to a question about Arsenal's performance during the 2021/22 season.

Ben White hasn't played for England in over two years (Image: Getty)

The report claimed that the problem 'appeared to be a question of respect accorded to the player', and 'eventually' led to White's departure from the squad.

The topic was brought into full focus again in the months ahead of Euro 2024, with Southgate stating prior to friendlies against Belgium and Brazil that he had received a call from Arsenal sporting director Edu, who confirmed White would not be available.

Former Brighton defender White is still yet to publicly comment on the situation, but The Sun claim that Tuchel has spoken to him privately ahead of selecting his first England squad next month.

Speaking on talkSPORT, McCoist made his feelings clear on the possibility of White returning to play for England despite making himself unavailable for previous squads.

He fumed: "If he made the decision [not to be available] because he didn't fancy it, then Harry Redknapp's right - I think it [the door] should be slammed right in his mush, as Harry put it.

"The one thing a lot of people, I would suggest the vast majority of people, can't accept, is anybody - in any walk of life - turning your back on your country. That's where I am on it. In any way, shape or form.

The Scotsman continued: "A lot of people are concerned at the fact they think, and maybe myself to a certain degree, he's been a little bit disrespectful to the sport that's been so good to him.

"You can't really come out and see there's people spending lots of money to go and watch games of football, and you're coming out and saying, "Well, I don't really like it'.

"I know some people say, 'I admire his honesty'. But I think that kind of honesty should maybe stay in there. Because it does upset people that love football.

"Should he be given the opportunity to come back into a place where if and when it suits him, for example?

"My answer is no, he shouldn't. But I don't know the full ins and outs of why he did it in the first place."