In an intriguing twist to the saga surrounding Ben White’s sudden departure from England’s World Cup camp in 2022, a new theory has surfaced, coinciding with the Arsenal defender’s recent return to international duty. White, who is now 28, had mysteriously exited the tournament in Qatar during the group stage, leaving fans and pundits speculating over the reasons behind his decision.

Since that unexpected departure, White had notably distanced himself from England’s setup, opting out of manager Gareth Southgate’s squads until he was called up as a late replacement for the injured Jarell Quansah during the current international break. His return to the field was marked by a substitute appearance in England’s 1-1 draw against Uruguay last Friday.

Adding a new dimension to the narrative, Adrian Durham of talkSPORT has put forward a compelling claim regarding the circumstances of White’s World Cup exit, urging the player to shed light on the situation. According to Durham, there was a significant issue involving White and the team’s preparation routine.

“From what I understand, Ben White was instructed, along with the rest of the team, to watch videos of their opponents, with the materials being provided on devices like laptops and iPads,” explained Durham. “However, he chose not to engage with these resources. The England analysts were aware of who had and hadn’t watched the videos due to the technology they used.”

‘This is what I’m led to understand has happened with Ben White,’ Durham said. ‘The players were told to watch videos of opponents and they were given videos on their laptops, iPads, whatever it was.

A fresh report has attempted to shed light on Ben White’s exit from the 2022 World Cup

White only returned to the international fold last week, four years after winning his last cap

‘He decided not to and the England analysts knew, because they had the tech, who had and who hadn’t watched the videos.

‘When asked about it, Ben White got really upset about it to the point where he quit England.

‘If that is true, why on earth would Thomas Tuchel want him back in the squad when he’s not prepared to put the hard yards in to be as good as he possibly can against the opponents England are up against.

‘If it’s not true, I apologise, but let’s have the flipping truth.’

Former England defender Danny Mills, who is a good friend of Gareth Southgate, also played down the reports of a row between Holland and White and insisted that maybe the situation had been overplayed. 

‘There has been no story that has ever come out of the World Cup when Ben White left to say that Gareth did something wrong or Steve Holland did something wrong,’ he said.

‘There is no way on this planet in four years that if there was a big story that would have not come out because a player would have told an agent or a friend that somebody would know and that story would be out there.

‘So first and foremost, there is no story as opposed to a member of staff mistreating the player in that way.’

He continued: ‘Now, let’s flip it the other way round. Ben White needs to explain why he walked out of an England camp in a World Cup.

‘I don’t understand why no one has asked the question, why nobody seems brave enough to ask that question.’

White (right) was booed by England fans as he came off the bench on Friday against Uruguay

Meanwhile, White made a chaotic England return after coming off the bench for Fikayo Tomori in the 69th minute against Uruguay.

As his name was announced, large swathes of the Wembley crowd jeered in protest at his controversial return. 

White, whose previous international cap came against Ivory Coast on March 29, 2022, quickly silenced the boo boys however, as he scored to put England ahead just 12 minutes after coming off the bench.

However, White returned to being the villain in added time as he gave away a penalty after he was adjudged to have fouled Federico Vinas following a VAR review, and Federico Valverde tucked home the spot kick to rescue a draw for Uruguay. 

‘It was too good to be true when he scored the winner which in the end was not a winner,’ England boss Tuchel said of White’s display. ‘In the end he was perhaps too greedy in his defensive actions but it was not a penalty.’

On the boos, he added: ‘This happened before to some players here which is disappointing because I don’t think it helps anyone. There was a mixed reaction.’