England head coach Gareth Southgate has, on Friday evening, responded to the recent reports surrounding defender Ben White.
White, of course, caught headlines last week, upon word surfacing that the Arsenal star had come to the decision to bring a close to his experience in Qatar, despite his nation’s ongoing push for glory on football’s biggest stage.
England, for their part, subsequently released a statement on the matter, confirming that the stopper’s exit had come for ‘personal reasons’.
No further insight, at the time, was provided.
In turn, it came as a major surprise when, late last night, an update on the matter was forthcoming online.
As per a report from the Daily Star, White’s England exit came as a result of a falling out with Steve Holland, the Three Lions assistant coach.
Ben White ‘left England’s World Cup camp early because of an alleged bust-up with assistant boss Steve Holland’ https://t.co/860IfBqvLk pic.twitter.com/wxkt4tWieZ
— Mail Sport (@MailSport) December 8, 2022
Speaking to the media late on Friday, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of the defender’s alleged falling out with his right-hand man was put to none other than Gareth Southgate.
And though he was keen not to stoke the fire, Southgate, perhaps significantly, also did little to reject the notion that a falling out did in fact take place:
“What I’ve been shown was alleged and there was another word that was used.
“I think by commenting on the story I could be giving it any form of credibility, really.
“We explained why Ben left the camp and I think it’s important that that is respected, really.”
Southgate plays down suggestions of a disagreement between White and Steve Holland. Insists White left for personal reasons, sources describe the situation as ‘complicated’. White is currently on holiday in the Maldives. Story: https://t.co/aO51mCmfRi
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) December 9, 2022
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