Ben White must ‘clear the air’ with England teammates, says Thomas Tuchel | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel says that Ben White will “clear the air” with senior England players over his return, with the manager also expressing hope that fans will give him a fair chance.

The 28-year-old right-back was recalled to the international squad earlier this week, for the first time since leaving the 2022 World Cup squad in circumstances that continue to cause intrigue, amid murmurs of tension with staff.

Tuchel added that everyone deserves “a second chance” and that White has been brilliant with him, as the manager was asked whether the Arsenal defender needs to explain what happened.

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Ben White deserves ‘a second chance’ with England, says his manager (PA)

“If you believe it or not, I didn’t hear a story about it,” Tuchel said. “I asked him and he didn’t want to speak about it. I didn’t want to know about it because I think he deserves a second chance. I want to give him a second chance.

“He has not put a foot wrong with me. Something must have happened, because if a player leaves from a tournament it’s never good and it never can be nothing.

“I’m not sure if ‘apologise’ is the right word, but maybe just to clear the air with the players who were there, I think he has done and will do with the majority of the players who come now. He trains at a very high level, exceptionally good in training. The reaction to his call-up was very positive.

“Within seconds, it was a very positive and emotional reaction from him. He made it very clear how delighted he is to be back. This is what he has shown in the last days. Everyone deserves a second chance, but I don’t even know if he did something wrong or what exactly happened. But an explanation among the players who were there, to clear the air, is sure in progress.”

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White is training with England again (Getty)

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Thomas Tuchel wants White to clear the air with his teammates (Getty)

It was put to Tuchel that some fan reaction might be more unforgiving, as the manager was asked what he expects.

“Support, because he plays for England and we play in a positive moment,” explained Tuchel. “We will have some new players on the pitch so I hope everyone can support. I can imagine there are some strong opinions out there, but nobody is in camp who has made the strongest opinions, so yeah, he deserves a second chance.

“People have to trust me that he behaves very, very well. He was positive about coming back and was desperate for many months to come back. Now he has the chance because Jarrell Quansah pulled out through injury and he is eager to prove a point. Hopefully people give him a fair chance.”

On another returning player, Tuchel does not expect any issues for Harry Maguire getting into the USA if selected, despite the Man United centre-back being given a 15-month suspended jail sentence by a Greek court following an incident in Mykonos in August 2020.

“I think there will be no issues,” said Tuchel. “This is my last understanding of the matter. I trust the people [who told me that].”