Ben White choosing not to play for England during the current international break is good for the team and the player, says Bacary Sagna.
White controversially turned down a call-up by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate ahead of friendlies this week against Brazil and Belgium, and while many may disagree with the Arsenal defender's choice, Sagna thinks the 26-year-old made the right call.
Speaking to Paddy Power, former France international Sagna explained why White rejecting his country's call-up is a good thing rather than a negative.
“As a player, if I wasn’t in the mental state to represent my country, I would not have done it," Sagna said. "You would help your country by not going because if you’re not in the mental state and can’t be an addition to the national team, I wouldn’t want to go.
“If you get called up, you want to go and have a positive impact. It’s a personal choice and must be respected. No one knows what Ben White’s relationship with the England team is like, and no one knows his mental state or how he feels. Only he knows how he feels so we can’t judge him on his decision. It’s a controversial decision for some people, but if he feels okay, that’s what matters.
“He’ll want to be happy to be called up to England and pleased to be able to help the team. I’ve seen some people criticise him and say ‘you have to be patriotic and play for your country’ but if he goes to England and doesn’t have the right mind set, it doesn’t benefit anyone!
“It used to happen to me, I used to go to France and wasn’t fully happy about how I felt when I was going but still went. Who is that beneficial for? It wasn’t beneficial for me because mentally I wasn’t happy to be there, and for the team, I wasn’t giving 100% and performing like I could.
“It’s Ben White’s personal choice that has to be respected.”
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