Brighton defender Ben White ‘will be named in England’s enlarged Euro 2020 squad TODAY’ with Gareth Southgate ‘impressed by his versatility’ and pushing back a final announcement amid fears over Harry Maguire’s injury
Brighton defender Ben White is set to be a shock inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s provisional England squad for Euro 2020.
According to The Athletic, Southgate is an admirer of the 23-year-old centre-back and values his versatility as he plans for the tournament that begins next month.
Southgate will announce his side later on Tuesday and will name a provisional squad of around 30 players for the tournament, which he will have to cut down to 26 names.
Brighton defender Ben White is set to be a shock inclusion in England’s provisional Euros side
White has impressed for Brighton this season, making a total of 36 appearances in the league
The central defensive role could become a problem point for England and Southgate if Harry Maguire fails to recover from an ankle injury in time.
The centre-back is expected to miss Manchester United’s Europa League final against Villarreal on Wednesday night but has flown with the squad to Gdansk in Poland.
White played 36 Premier League games for Brighton in 2020-21 with The Seagulls finishing 16th. England boss Southgate was at Brighton’s Amex stadium on May 15 to watch Brighton’s 1-1 draw against West Ham.
Another aspect that may draw Southgate to White is the fact Brighton tend to play with three at the back, something the England boss has prefered in his time at the helm of the national side.
White spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Leeds and played every match under Marcelo Bielsa as they won promotion from the Championship. His form that season even saw him linked with a move to Liverpool.
Gareth Southgate saw White in action on May 15 when Brighton drew 1-1 against West Ham
His potential inclusion comes amid concerns over the fitness of key man Harry Maguire
Indeed, Sportsmail reported last month that White was even being considered again by Jurgen Klopp with a new centre-back top of his priorities in the upcoming summer transfer window but RB Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konate is the first choice.
White is currently uncapped at international level but should his place in the side be confirmed, he could make his debut on June 2 in a friendly against Austria at the Riverside stadium.
England then meet Romania on June 6, again at Middlesbrough’s ground, before their tournament starts properly against Croatia at Wembley on June 13.