Arsenal’s English defender Ben White has left England’s training camp in Qatar. The 25-year-old defender has returned to his home country for personal reasons, the football association reports. White is no longer expected with the national team in the remainder of the World Cup.
White sat on the bench for ninety minutes in the first two games in the group stage and was missing from the game selection against Wales (0-3 win) on Tuesday. The media spoke of complaints of illness at the defender.
National coach Gareth Southgate relies on a central defense duo consisting of John Stones and Harry Maguire during the World Cup. The 25-year-old White was part of the pre-selection for the European Championship in 2021, but was dropped. After that he came to four international matches and that will be the case for the time being.
Portugal had to take a blow for the remainder of the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo’s team qualified for the Round of 16 after only two games, but lost an important force. Nuno Mendes has dropped out injured.
The left wing-back was already missing in the opening game against Ghana (3-2 win) due to a muscle injury, but just started against Uruguay (2-0 win) in the starting line-up. Before the break, however, Mendes was already replaced due to a backlash. Raphael Guerreiro was his replacement.
A setback for the Portuguese, because the left back has developed into a permanent fixture since his debut a year and a half ago. Since his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain last summer, Mendes’ stature in Portugal has also grown. Forty million euros were transferred to Sporting Portugal to release him.
With Guerreiro, Portugal has an experienced replacement. The 59-time international plays at Borussia Dortmund and must fill the gap left behind. Portugal can secure the group victory against South Korea on Friday afternoon.
