England: Ben White is called up for the first time since 2022 for the Uruguay and Japan friendlies

White’s return to international football has taken more than a year.

One of Tuchel’s first jobs upon his appointment as England coach was to gauge White’s openness to playing for his country again.

White exiled himself from selection after a row with assistant coach Steve Holland at the World Cup, resulting in the right-back flying home.

Southgate tried to offer an olive branch and contacted Arsenal sporting director Edu to find out if White would return to the England national team.

We know White’s response.

But the departures of Southgate and Holland after Euro 2024 changed the dynamic.

In March 2025 – before Tuchel’s first game – he said White was informed he was available for selection.

Sources told BBC Sport that Tuchel intended to select White to play in the matches against Andorra and Senegal in May, but his selection did not materialize for family reasons.

In September, a knee injury prevented White from being called up against Serbia and Andorra.

White has played a marginal role for Arsenal this season, with Jorren Tempere the first-choice right-back, and his campaign has been disrupted by injury.

But Tuchel finally executed his plan. Time will tell if white is worth the wait.