What Gareth Southgate said about Arsenal star Ben white after Euro 2024 announcement

England boss Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Ben White is not available for selection after the Arsenal defender wasn't named in the 33-man provisional Euro 2024 squad. Southgate named his first squad for this summer's tournament in Germany on Tuesday afternoon, with a number of surprising exclusions.

Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling were all left out. The likes of Jarell Quansah, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze and James Trafford have all earned surprising call-ups, with Southgate trimming the squad to 26 before travelling to Germany.

White, unsurprisingly, wasn't named in the England squad. The Gunner star hasn't featured for the Three Lions since the World Cup and has blocked the potential of a call-up.

In March, Southgate confirmed that the right-back did not want to be considered. "On form, I can't sit here and say [White] doesn't deserve to be in," said Southgate in March.

"John McDermott had a call from Edu last week to say Ben didn't want to be considered for England squads at this time. That's a great shame, he's a player I really like, he's a player we took to the Euros when he was at Brighton, to the World Cup.

"I spoke to him post-Qatar because I wanted to pick him. There was clearly reticence from his side, I don't know fully why that is."

READ MORE: Ben White England decision gives forgotten Arsenal transfer new focus amid summer battle

READ MORE: The three standout Arsenal transfer targets for the summer window emerge amid £55.6m striker aim

On Tuesday, Southgate confirmed that he hadn't spoken to White before announcing his squad." Asked whether he had discussed a call-up with the 26-year-old, he said: "No, no. As far as I'm aware he's not available to us."