"Criminal that Maguire has been chosen over him", "Absolutely scandalous" - Arsenal fans accuse Gareth Southgate of 'favoritism' for leaving 24-year-old out of England squad

Arsenal fans have launched a scathing attack on England manager Gareth Southgate for leaving Gunners defender Ben White out of the latest Three Lions squad.

Club football will come to a temporary halt after this weekend, with international fixtures set to take place next week. Southgate's England are among the teams in action during the break.

The Three Lions are scheduled to face Italy and Germany in the UEFA Nations League on September 23 and 26 respectively. And, Southgate has now named his squad for those matches.

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka have earned a place in England's squad for the upcoming games. However, White, who has four international caps under his belt, has been left out.

White has started in each of the Gunners' six Premier League matches this season, albeit out of position at right-back. Southgate, though, has picked Eric Dier, Harry Maguire, Marc Guehi, Conor Coady, John Stones and Fikayo Tomori ahead of the 24-year-old.

It is worth noting that the centre-back has clocked more minutes than Maguire, Coady and Stones this season. Hence, the decision to leave him out of the England squad has left many Arsenal fans infuriated.

A section of Gunners supporters took to Twitter to rip into Three Lions coach Southgate for snubbing White.

Another supporter accused Southgate of 'favoritism' for picking Maguire over White and wrote:

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place between November and December. With the tournament just two months away, many believe the squad that will travel to Qatar will be similar to the one named by Southgate now.

It thus remains to be seen if White can force his way into the 52-year-old's plans over the next two months. Manchester United's Jadon Sancho is another notable absentee in England's latest squad.

White has helped Arsenal to flying start this term

Mikel Arteta's side have made a flying start to their 2022-23 season after missing out on a top-four finish in the Premier League last term. They currently sit atop the table with 15 points to their name.

The Gunners have won five and lost one of their six league games so far and enjoy a one-point lead over Manchester City. They will be hopeful of maintaining their form as the season progresses.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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