BEN FOSTER has defended Ben White’s decision to reject an England call-up.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate revealed the Arsenal defender did not want to be included in the squad for friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
White, 26, has not played for England since March 2022 and he has faced criticism for his stance – which Southgate said he can’t protect him from.
However, former England goalkeeper Foster has supported White, and admitted he understands why the defender does not want to be involved.
He said on his Fozcast podcast: “It’s hard to know exactly what Ben White is like as a character. There’s been loads of stories floating around before about the fact that he doesn’t particularly like football away from it.
“I get the vibe that he doesn’t really enjoy it all, he doesn’t like the show of it all, especially going away with England.
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“It’s a two-week period where he can have a real rest, a real shutdown, escape from it all, not have to worry about football and when you’re somebody that doesn’t particularly love all of that stuff, all the trappings that come with being a footballer, that is a real great chance.”
Foster relates to White as he once turned down an England call-up when Fabio Capello was in charge, as he was not happy with how the Italian treated him.
He said: “I rejected an England call up once when Fabio Capello was manager. My kids were just being born and I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing when I was away with England.
“I knew I was going there basically just to make up the numbers.
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“I didn’t really get too much respect from Fabio Capello. My son was born, I rushed off to the birth and I was on the phone to him later on that night.
“He said ‘we need you back, there’s an England game tomorrow you need to be on the bench,’ and I was like: ‘Do I really need to be on the bench? I’ve just had my son it would be really nice to spend some time with him’.
“He’s like: ‘No you’re going to play the second half’. I didn’t play the second half! I left, I came back, sat on the bench, did not get a minute of football and I just thought: ‘I don’t like that’. That goes beyond it for me.
“So at the next international camp I said I’m not going to be joining up with the squad because I’d rather spend it with my family with my newborn children and that’s the way I saw it. I really enjoyed that time.
“Again you got to put yourself in Ben White’s shoes. If he doesn’t like new environments, new people… he might be an anxious character you just don’t know what these sort of people are like.
“I’m with him. If he enjoys you know these international breaks, just getting away from it, relaxing, then power to you mate.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
