Tuchel downplays fears White could walk away from England over fans' boos

Thomas Tuchel has played down any suggestion of Ben White walking away from England again and backed the Arsenal defender to overcome boos from fans at Wembley on Thursday.

White was jeered by a section of the crowd after being introduced as a 78th-minute substitute in England's 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia.

It is the second time the 29-year-old has been booed after his return to international football after almost four years away from the England setup in March was greeted with a similar reaction. White declared himself unavailable for England after leaving the 2022 World Cup in Qatar early having not played a single minute in the tournament.

The FA said at the time White's departure was due to personal reasons but sources said that he also had a dispute with the coaching staff, although this was something then Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate later denied.

White said in an interview on Monday that fans would act differently if they knew the full story of why he stepped back from England but Tuchel's pre-match request not to single him out was ignored by a significant number of supporters.

Asked if there was a danger White could decide to quit England again, Tuchel said: "I don't think so. I don't want to make it bigger than it is. I don't think so. I don't hope so. He seems to be always committed and always dedicated and excited to come to camp and get the call-up.

"He had too many injuries. No, I don't hope so. He is a high-quality player and I honestly don't even know what happened and what were the deep reasons and the situation that he left camp.

"Since I am in charge, there is no reason to doubt his commitment, his passion. I don't want to think in these extreme terms at the moment. He overcame the boos the last time. I didn't hear them this time. He can play on a high level. He proves it week in, week out for Arsenal. That's why I don't want to think about it at the moment."

White was booed at the same time Croatia's Luka Modric was cheered onto the pitch. Modric, 41, is a popular player across the world and spent four years at Tottenham but has previously been critical of England.

"I heard the claps for Luka Modric, which is nice because he deserves it," Tuchel said. "He's a legend of the game, but I honestly didn't hear the boost for Ben and I thought we were past that chapter.

"I hope it doesn't happen again. He's a player of ours. Since I'm in charge, he's desperate to come and to be with the group. He doesn't put a foot wrong since I'm in charge.

"I can only judge him on what I see and what I experienced, and it is on highest level, and he can really help us to win football matches.

"Like I said, he's part of our group, and we will protect our group, and are protective of our group. He deserves to be with us and, yeah, I hope we can open a new chapter for him."