Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken of the "love" shown to Ben White amid the Gunners defender's international exile. White, 26, won the last of his four
England caps in 2022 and left the
World Cup camp later that year. Gareth Southgate was asked about the defender's continued absence after leaving him out of the squad for the March friendlies against
Brazil and
Belgium, confirming White had made himself unavailable for selection. Southgate has insisted the door remains open for the former Brighton star , who has been a key part of Arsenal's title push this season. White's club colleagues have continued to represent their country, with Declan Rice wearing the captain's armband against Belgium. Speaking ahead of Arsenal's potential title decider against
Manchester City , Arteta addressed the situation surrounding White. He kept all options open for the £50m man, while speaking highly of the support shown to his player. Watch the
Premier League title race with the best Sky Sports deals Mikel Arteta sends fierce response to
Arsenal 'bottle-job' critics amid latest title race “I think he has received a lot of love," Arteta said. "You just have to see what his teammates and everyone close to him in
Football says. I think people have respected. Hopefully he can represent his country in the best way possible one day. That’s up to him.” Arteta also spoke of the difficult balance between club and international football, saying: "We try to have the best possible communication with the national team, but at the end they have the capacity to select the players and use them how they feel. I always feel that they have the priority to protect the players." Bukayo Saka pulled out of the England squad before the international double-header, while neither Gabriel Magalhaes nor Gabriel Martinelli featured for Brazil. Arteta said all three have "a chance" of featuring against City on Sunday after recent injury scares. Can you see Ben White playing for England any time soon? Have your say in the comments section White signed a new contract with Arsenal in March ( Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images) When Southgate named his initial squad for the two friendlies, he was asked about White's involvement, or lack thereof. "It's really for Ben now," he said, insisting he hadn't shut the door on a return for the player. "I respected the situation as Arsenal have contacted us," he added. "So in the end, I know the conversation I had with him last March. I felt I should back away from it a little bit. But I've always left the door open. I was keen to bring him in this camp." Rice was also asked about his club colleague, having captained England for the first time on his 50th cap. "Ben is such a good guy and he is an unbelievable footballer," the former West Ham skipper said. "It is hard to know really what is going on but he has made his decision and he doesn't want to play for England at this moment in time." Join our new
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