Jordan Henderson says England squad ‘will support’ Ben White after defender booed by Wembley crowd on return against Uruguay

The 28-year-old had not played for England since March 2022, with his most recent inclusion in a squad coming at the World Cup later that year before he left the tournament without an appearance, citing ”personal reasons”.

It was widely reported that White fell out with Gareth Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland, and the Arsenal man then made himself “unavailable for selection” for the rest of Southgate’s tenure, which ended after Euro 2024.

White was a late inclusion in manager Thomas Tuchel’s expanded 35-man squad for this month’s friendlies, and he ended his four-year wait for a fifth cap as he came on as a second-half substitute against Uruguay.

However, the defender was booed by large sections of the Wembley crowd as he replaced Fikayo Tomori, and even faced jeers when he put England 1-0 up in the 81st minute.

Despite the reaction of the supporters, White’s teammates appeared delighted for him as he poked home from close range, and Henderson has made it clear they will be there for him.  

Ben White is mobbed by his teammates after opening the scoring at Wembley

Image credit: Getty Images

“As team-mates, we are always there to support,” said the Brentford midfielder, who was booed by England fans in 2023 after joining Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.

“I have been through it myself, but that is part and parcel of being an England player.

“Some of the fans probably don’t even know why they are booing. They listen to what is being said in the media, and a lot of the time, what the media says isn’t true.

“Not many people know the ins and outs of what happened in Qatar, and it is for us to deal with internally. Ben has been good since he came back in, and we will support him as teammates.”

He added: “A few of us have been there, it is difficult when it is you, but you have to try not to take it too personally.

“The media can spin things in certain ways, which isn’t always the truth, and then fans can pick up on that and think it is the truth.

“It is really difficult when that happens, so it is important for us to make sure he is OK, which I am sure he is. I was delighted he got on and got a goal, which is the most important thing.”

It was an eventful evening for White, who gave away a penalty in stoppage-time, which Federico Valverde converted to snatch a 1-1 draw for the visiting side. 

After calling up White earlier this week to replace the injured Jarell Quansah, Tuchel said the defender must ”clear the air” with his team-mates. 

The German said on Thursday: “I think everyone deserves a second chance.

“I don’t know exactly what happened. I was not 100% interested in that as I wanted to open a new page.

“Once I asked Ben if he would be ready to play for me and for England, he straight away, and without hesitation, said he would love that, and he was desperate to come back.

“I think it’s necessary he clears the air with team-mates, and I think he will when players come back who were in the World Cup with him.”

White will have another chance to impress on Tuesday when England host Japan, which will be the national team’s final game before their World Cup preparation camp at the start of June.