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Darren Bent has accused Gareth Southgate of lying about Ben White’s withdrawal from the England contention. The Arsenal defender withdrew from the Three Lions' World Cup 2022 squad in Qatar and has been unavailable for selection by his country ever since. Following Southgate's resignation as boss, rumours have arisen that White could be willing to play for Thomas Tuchel’s England, ending his almost two years out of the fold. That's despite being a star performer for title-challenging Arsenal. It has since been reported that White was unhappy with comments made by assistant manager Steve Holland who questioned his interest in football. He was possibly also discontent with the lack of minutes he received. White was in the Euro 2020 squad but only made the bench two out of seven games. But now, with a change of regime, former Chelsea boss Tuchel may be the key to White’s return.   Speaking on the talk SPORT Inside Gooners podcast, Darren Bent said: “If Ben White has made himself eligible for an international call up that tells me he never had an issue with playing for England "I'm pretty sure he always wanted to play for England but had a problem with Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland. “Some fans might not see it and they’ll say 'just get on with it, you’re playing for England' but you have to be comfortable within a working environment. “If Ben White felt every time he went there he was being targeted, kind of mocked in front of the rest of his teammates and he felt uncomfortable then he should have the option as a human being to say 'I don't want to put myself in that situation so I’ll take myself out'. "As soon as they've gone if he's saying that he wants to be selected for England, that tells me that it's never been about playing for his country. “I’m sure if you sat him down and asked him he’d say representing his country is the highest honour you can get. "But the fact that Southgate came out and lied basically, saying that nothing happened - be honest. "Say that 'we've had a bit of a falling out and he's opted not to come back' then it would be fair enough, but he's almost tried to put it on Ben White and said 'blame him, not me' and that's not really fair in my eyes. "He's done a lot of good for England in uniting the players, the press and the fans but just be honest about it, don't put it all on Ben. " Bent's view was backed up by an interview conducted by White after his first call up in 2021. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I got a phone call, got told the news, I was out for dinner, I didn't really believe it! "Obviously speaking to Dan (Ashworth), he told me all the news, when I was going, it was obviously unbelievable. "I put the phone down, rang my mum straight away, sat down there, cried, mum was crying, mum, my dad, had all my sisters there and, yeah, I just sat and cried for about an hour. "I coudn't really believe it and I don't think it's settled in yet. "I didn't really think that I would be called, I thought it was a bit too late because I've heard you get called way before it. "But I obviously didn't and when that call did come I was over the moon with it and shocked really. "No pressure, I've got to go what I've got to do, do my best and if I get game time, I've got to produce my quality and show what I've got. " If he does decide to return to the England fold Trent Alexander-Arnold will be a road-block at the full-back position but he could land a solid rotation option as Reece James struggles with injuries and Kyle Walker ages. Unfortunately White will most likely be unfit for the next international break due to a recent knee surgery he underwent which Mikel Arteta said “will keep him out for a few months”. © 2024 talk SPORT Limited

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