Tuchel defends White after England fans boo Arsenal defender

England manager Thomas Tuchel came to the defense of defender Ben White after he was booed by England fans during his substitution in a 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia at Wembley Stadium. Tuchel expressed that he had not heard the booing, contrasting it with the applause for Croatia's veteran forward Luka Modric as he left the pitch.

The Arsenal player made his first appearance for England since March, before the World Cup, where he was not selected due to injury. White had previously been booed for turning his back on the national team and left the 2022 World Cup camp early for personal reasons, later making himself unavailable for Gareth Southgate's tenure.

Tuchel stated, "I didn't hear the boos for Ben and I thought we were past that chapter," and expressed hope that the incident wouldn't happen again. He emphasized that White is a valuable player for the team, having no issues since he became manager. Tuchel also reassured that he doesn't think White would turn his back on the team if the negative reaction continued, stating, "I don't want to make it bigger than it is."