Tuchel will 'reach out' to White over England return

England manager Thomas Tuchel says he will "reach out" to Arsenal defender Ben White about the possibility of returning to the national team.

White left England's 2022 World Cup camp in Qatar after the group stage to return home for personal reasons.

The 27-year-old has played four times for the Three Lions, with his last appearance in March 2022.

Tuchel was appointed England manager in October, replacing Gareth Southgate, and will begin his tenure on 1 January.

"I will reach out to him," said the German. "It should be a clean start and a clear narrative.

"I will be in the stadiums from January. I will also not distract the players and they should just know, 'OK, the boss is there from January'."

England discovered their 2026 World Cup qualifying group on Friday and will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra.

Southgate said in March that White, who can play as a centre-back or right-back, had made himself unavailable for selection.

White is currently sidelined after undergoing surgery on his knee, with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirming in November he will be out for "months".

Tuchel is the third non-British permanent manager of England's men's team after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

The 51-year-old has won trophies in each of his past four managerial posts at Borussia Dortmund, Paris St-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

However, his appointment was met with a mixed reaction as he looks to deliver a first piece of silverware for the men's senior team since 1966.

"Of course, [the reaction] will always be mixed," Tuchel said.

"So now I have to prove myself and to the people who are maybe a bit concerned - to prove to them how much it means for me and that it's a dream job for me that I will give everything. And that I'm the man for the job."