'It's important' - Lee Carsley sends clear message to Ben White over England future

Speaking to reporters after a comfortable 2-0 Nations League win over Finland, England's new interim boss claimed he had "not planned" to contact White. This was after the Arsenal defender reportedly ruled himself out of selection following widespread rumours about a disagreement with former boss Gareth Southgate's assistant Steve Holland. There may be a new man at the helm now, but Carsley claims it's up to White to make himself available again.

Asked about White's potential availability, Carsley said: "I've not planned to [contact him], no. We spoke about this in the squad selection. Every player that's eligible to play for England is in with a chance. As far as I was aware, he was asked to be not contacted. So, if that changes, then that'll change."

He added when asked if the onus is on White to come forward if he wants to play for his country again: "I think it is important that we've got real competition all over the pitch and the more players we've got available to pick from, the better it is."

Even if White is recalled to the England squad to add to his four international caps at some stage, his first task will be battling with Trent Alexander-Arnold for the right-back spot. Liverpool's creative full-back has impressed after starting both of Carsley's first two matches in this position, and it has been suggested he could even keep Kyle Walker out of the team for the foreseeable future.

While White ponders whether to reach out to the new England boss, Carsley has more work to do. The 50-year-old has started his interim tenure with solid 2-0 wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland, but now his attention will turn to the upcoming international break in October. "I'm thinking about the game tonight, but it wasn't long after coming off the pitch where I was thinking 'right, I need to start thinking about next one now'," said Carsley.