Euro 2020: England manager Gareth Southgate names replacement for injured Trent Alexander-Arnold
England manager Gareth Southgate has named Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben White as a replacement for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold for the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament.
The Liverpool right-back was the subject of much debate before England's squad was announced. Despite not being in Gareth Southgate's squad in March, the 50-year-old manager picked Alexander-Arnold in his 26-man squad for Euro 2020.
However, Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered a thigh injury in a warmup game against Austria, which ended his Euro 2020 dreams even before the tournament started. Despite the setback, the 22-year-old is likely to be fit before the start of the new season.
Gareth Southgate has decided to go for Brighton centre-back Ben White as a replacement for the injured right-back. Ben White was picked by Southgate in his 33-man provisional England squad for Euro 2020 but was later dropped when the squad had to be shrunk down to just 26 players.
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England make the right choice by picking Ben White for Euro 2020
A number of players were rumored to have taken the final spot in England's Euro 2020 squad. The likes of Jesse Lingard and James Ward-Prowse have had stellar seasons with their respective clubs. However, Gareth Southgate's decision to pick Ben White instead makes total sense.
Ben White could cover up for Harry Maguire at centre-back, whose fitness concerns might see him not feature in England's opening game against Croatia. The 23-year-old is also capable of playing as a makeshift central midfielder, which could be helpful with Jordan Henderson not yet up to full fitness.
Sky Sports news reporter Rob Dorsett agrees with Gareth Southgate's decision for Euro 2020. he said:
"It's huge news for Ben White having only been called up to be part of the standby list in Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man squad. When that happened, Southgate was very pragmatic in saying to him and others on that list that they were here only really as cover in case there were injuries."
"It turned out that England did get an injury, and it's a pragmatic choice as White covers all those problematic areas for England. Crucially, he played 90 minutes at centre-back in England's 1-0 win over Romania and looked very assured."
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