Former West Ham United defender Anton Ferdinand has criticized England boss Gareth Southgate for not selecting Arsenal star Ben White in the Three Lions squad.
The white failed to make it to Southgate’s 28-man squad for this month’s UEFA Nations League matches. The matches against Italy and Germany will be the last matches before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.
Many have spoken of the Gunners’ omission of the defender, most notably Manchester United center-back Harry Maguire in the squad. White has started all seven of Arsenal’s Premier League games this season, while Maguire has only made three league appearances, one as a substitute.
Ferdinand was the last to express his displeasure that White was not selected by Southgate. He told Sky Sport (quoted by HITC):
“I can speak as a defender, you have to play and play week after week. When you don’t play week after week, you become lazy and someone who can’t get their feet to work.
“Can we afford to go to a World Cup with players (like Maguire) who don’t play week after week? I don’t think we can.
The former West Ham center-back continued:
We have players like Ben White, who is at the top of the Premier League at the moment, then there is [Fikayo] Tomori, who won Serie A last season, does not smell and has no escape. “
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🗣️ Anton Ferdinand: “Can we afford to go to a World Cup with the players? [like Harry Maguire] Who doesn’t play week after week? I don’t think we can … We have players like #Arsenalit’s Ben White, who is currently at the top of the Premier League standings … ” [via @SkySports] https://t.co/hUYyJEglKc
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Ferdinand concluded:
(Against Italy), it would have been a great time to play against players like them, to see what they could do. “
Notably, England lost 1-0 in the match against Italy on 23 September and will face Germany on Monday (26 September).
Ben White and Arsenal are getting off to a great start this season
Arsenal have been fantastic this season and their defense has been a key factor. Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and White were magnificent, while Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney did a decent job alternating as left back.
Mikel Arteta’s side have kept a clean sheet three times in seven Premier League matches, helping them reach six wins in total. They sit at the top of the league standings with 18 points from seven games.
After the ongoing international break, Arsenal will return to the national field with a North London Derby. On 1 October at the Emirates Stadium they will face Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are currently third in the Premier League and are unbeaten so far with five wins and two draws in seven games.
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