Ben White has received his first England call-up since November 2022 after replacing the injured Jarell Quansah in Thomas Tuchel’s squad to face Uruguay and Japan, with Harvey Barnes also receiving an inclusion in place of Eberechi Eze.
Arsenal defender White has not featured for the Three Lions since he left their camp during the Qatar World Cup after an alleged bust-up with then-assistant Steve Holland.
He later told head coach Gareth Southgate he did not want to be included for selection in the lead-up to Euro 2024 while current boss Thomas Tuchel first spoke to him ahead of naming his first squad last February, before eventually returning him to the fold more than a year later.
White himself revealed at the end of last season he had made himself available to Tuchel following their discussions, saying in May 2025: “I’m definitely available. I spoke to him a few times.
“[Tuchel] is such a nice, nice man – very honest. I haven’t been back for too long. So it’s just about playing now and hopefully making my way back in.”
The right-back played the whole of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City but has made only seven Premier League appearances this season, totalling just 411 minutes overall.
Barnes earns a call-up in place of White’s injured Arsenal team-mate Eze barely a month after turning down the opportunity to play for Scotland ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
The Newcastle winger, who would have qualified for Steve Clarke’s side through his maternal grandparents, has one previous cap for England, featuring against Wales in a friendly in October 2020.
Clarke revealed the 28-year-old had chosen to focus on regaining his place in the Three Lions’ set up following February’s Nations League draw, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “This time I can say for sure, Harvey’s going to concentrate on trying to play for England, he’s not going to come to Scotland.
“You can put that one out there. Nobody needs to ask me or Harvey about it any more. Am I disappointed? No, listen, Harvey can make up his own mind. We move on.”
Amended England squad list
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson*, Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Aaron Ramsdale, Jason Steele.
Defenders: Dan Burn*, Marc Guehi*, Lewis Hall, Ezri Konsa*, Tino Livramento, Harry Maguire, Nico O’Reilly*, Ben White, Djed Spence, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori.
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson*, Jude Bellingham, James Garner, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice*, Morgan Rogers*, Adam Wharton.
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Harvey Barnes, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon*, Harry Kane*, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka*, Dominic Solanke.
*11 players will not join up with the England squad until after Friday’s game with Uruguay
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