The Independent newspaper carried Tuchel's remarks, in which he defended the Arsenal star and voiced his hope that the fans would let him turn over a new leaf with England.
Thomas Tuchel backs Ben White to handle the boos. The defender has the mental toughness, he reckons, but the manager still wants England's fans to give him a fresh start.
The 29-year-old had made clear he wasn't prepared to play for England under Gareth Southgate. He left Qatar during the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup for reasons he called "personal".
Reports suggest White fell out with former assistant coach Steve Holland. He didn't return to the England ranks until Tuchel took over last March, when the crowd jeered him, before injury ruled him out of the World Cup.
Speaking this week, the Arsenal defender said the crowd wouldn't have behaved that way had they known the full story, though he refused to point the finger at anyone.
Related Topics
Even so, the boos returned when he came on as a substitute during Thursday's 2-1 win over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League.
When it was put to Tuchel that Luka Modric, Croatia's substitute, had received a warmer reception than White got for England, he laughed: "I didn't hear the boos, honestly."
He went on: "I heard the applause for Luka Modric, and that is a lovely thing because he deserves it, as he is a legend in the world of football, but honestly I did not hear the boos against Ben White. I thought we had moved past that page."
"I hope it does not happen again," he added. "He is one of our players. Since I took charge, he has been extremely keen to join us and to be with the group. And he has not committed any mistake since I became responsible for the national team."
His verdict was firm: "I can only judge him based on what I see and what I have experienced myself, and what I have seen from him has been of the highest level, and he can genuinely help us win football matches. And as I said, he is part of our group, and we will protect our group and make sure to protect it. He deserves to be with us, and yes, I hope we can turn over a new leaf for him."
The jeers were quieter than those at March's friendlies. Tuchel trusts the reaction won't drive White away from the national team again, even if the hostility carries on.
"I don't think so," the German coach said. "I don't want to give the matter more weight than it deserves. I don't think so, and I do not hope it happens. He has always seemed to me committed, devoted and keen to join the camp and receive the call-up."
"He has suffered from more injuries than he should have," he explained. "He is a player of high quality, and honestly, I don't even know what happened, nor the deep reasons behind the situation in which he left the camp."
"Therefore, and as I said, since I took charge, there is no reason for us to doubt Ben White's commitment or his passion," he added. "I don't want to think about these extreme possibilities at the present time."
The win sent England through to the Nations League quarter-finals. It also kept alive their hopes of topping Group One in the third tier, before Sunday's trip to face leaders Spain.
Tuchel put it plainly: "Things can't always be wonderful and very exciting. Sometimes what is required is just to be serious and determined, and we got the job done. We wanted to win, and we got what we wanted."
