Tuchel plans to offer White an England return

Incoming England head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed he will open the door to an international return for Ben White when he takes charge in 2025.

White has not featured for the Three Lions since prior to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which he left early after a reported falling out with coaching staff.

Previous boss Gareth Southgate announced in March that the Arsenal defender was continuing to rule himself out of selection but Tuchel plans to put that stance to the test.

Speaking after yesterday's FIFA World Cup qualifying draw, Tuchel said: "I will reach out to him, it should be a clean start and a clear narrative.

Group K is complete Thomas Tuchel's #ThreeLions have discovered their @FIFAWorldCup qualifying opponents! pic.twitter.com/a9rqHH3ZO7

— England (@England) December 13, 2024

"I will be in the stadiums from January. I will not distract the players, but they should just know, 'OK, the boss is there'."

White is currently recovering from knee surgery, but could add to his four international caps in March when England face Albania and Latvia at Wembley in their first two qualifiers.

Serbia and Andorra also await as Tuchel aims to complete the first stage of his stated aim to win the World Cup in USA in 2026.