England and Arsenal star Ben White has left the Three Lions World Cup camp early due to personal reasons and is not expected to return to Qatar before the end of the tournament.
White had not featured in any of England’s games so far, as the Arsenal star was an unused substitute in the first two Group B games and missed Tuesday’s 3-0 win against Wales through illness.
This World Cup was the 25-year-old’s first and he was selected by Gareth Southgate due to his impressive start to the season for Arsenal.
Although the defender was not expected to play much for the remainder of the tournament, the experience as a whole would have been valuable to White, who is expected to be part of England’s future camps at major tournaments.
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The Football Association issued a statement confirming the news about White on Wednesday, which said via the Daily Mail: ‘Ben White has left England’s training base at Al Wakrah and has returned home for personal reasons.
The Arsenal defender is not expected to return to the team for the remainder of the tournament.
“We ask that player privacy be respected at this time.”
The reasons for White’s early departure were not explained and he is expected to return to action when Arsenal play West Ham on Boxing Day.