Harry Maguire has given his honest verdict on Ben White's decision to be made unavailable for England ahead of Euro 2024.
The Arsenal defender was not selected in Gareth Southgate's latest Three Lions squad, with England staff receiving a call from Gunners sporting director Edu informing them that he would not be available.
White hasn't been selected in an England squad since the 2022 World Cup, when he left the camp due to 'personal reasons'.
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The Telegraph claimed last week that an exchange between White and England assistant Steve Holland, in which Holland is alleged to have remarked towards White that he 'was not sufficiently interested in football', was behind the defender's decision to leave - and refusal to play since.
It is claimed that the problem appeared to be 'a question of the respect accorded to the player', although there was no 'row' between the pair. White's representatives and the FA both declined to comment on the situation.
However, a number of England players currently on international duty have broken their silence on the matter since it was announced that White would not be involved in the squad.
England midfielder and White's Arsenal team-mate Declan Rice said that he would 'love' White to be playing for England, and added: "I think we're all going to be on him when we get back [to Arsenal] to say... hopefully he can change his mind, but I don't know the ins and outs of that conversation. So there's nothing much I can say on that."
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You can watch Rice's full response below.
Meanwhile, United star Maguire, who has been ruled out of Tuesday's friendly against Belgium through injury, has also had his say.
Speaking to The Times prior to England's 1-0 defeat to Brazil at Wembley, he said: "Ben's an excellent footballer. He trained really well [at the World Cup before leaving early], but I honestly don't know the ins and outs of why he's not wanting to be in the squad at the moment.
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"All I do know is that playing for your country is the greatest honour a footballer can get.
"When I was a young boy, I dreamt of playing for my country. Every opportunity I get, I will take. Playing for my country means absolutely everything to me."
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: England, Ben White, Harry Maguire, Gareth Southgate, Arsenal, Declan Rice, Manchester United