England outcast holds talks with Thomas Tuchel over international return | OneFootball

England manager Thomas Tuchel has spoken with Arsenal defender Ben White about his future with the Three Lions, a report has revealed.

While has not represented England since he abruptly left the squad during the 2022 World Cup and requested not to be involved with the team last year amid reports of a bust-up with former assistant manager Steve Holland. Gareth Southgate, Tuchel's predecessor, has dismissed such claims.

Nevertheless, when Tuchel took charge of the team, he confirmed he planned to speak with White to offer a "clean start", and BBC Sport state those conversations have since happened.

Just what was said, or the outcome of the talks, is not known, and there is by no means any guarantee that White will feature in next month's squad, although his chances of inclusion were slim anyway as he only recently returned to action for Arsenal after several months out with a knee injury.

Tuchel has been busy speaking with a number of English talents, with Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison also confirming he had spoken to the new boss.

"He has touched base," Maddison said recently. "I think he was reaching out to a lot of players who would be under selection, probably quite a big pool of players that the FA have identified.

"I'm hungry to be part of that, I feel like I'm in good form, my numbers are pretty good. There's not too many midfielders who can outscore and out-assist me, especially now when I'm feeling good as well, feeling sharp, I know I can affect most games.

"It's just about continuing to do that and like I always say, if I play at that level for Tottenham, then the rest will take care of itself because I have a really strong self-belief."