Danny Mills aims dig at Ben White and explains why he isn’t getting picked to play for England

Ben White wasn’t selected for England despite his impressive form with Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

Former England star Danny Mills insists he can empathise with Gareth Southgate’s decision to stand by Harry Maguire, claiming the struggling Manchester United defender’s potential replacements simply aren’t good enough.

The United skipper has been a mainstay of the sides which have reached the latter stages of the last two major tournaments under Southgate but his form had dipped alarmingly over the course of the last 12 months.

Maguire appears dangerously close to being deemed surplus to requirements by new United boss Erik ten Hag, who has put his faith in a central defensive partnership of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.

Despite his lack of game time at club level, Maguire has retained the faith of Southgate and will continue to do so, despite another erratic performance against Germany in last night’s 3-3 draw at Wembley.

White, meanwhile, didn’t even make the 28-man squad for the recent Nations League matches having played against both Switzerland and Ivory Coast back in March.

The 24-year-old has been playing and excelling in an unfamiliar right-back role for Arsenal this season and his failure to dislodge either Gabriel or William Saliba proves he isn’t good enough for England, according to Mills.

Pressed on the form of White as well as fellow England hopefuls Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi for their clubs, Mills insisted the gap between domestic and international football cannot be overestimated.

Harry Maguire is struggling for game time at Manchester United but continues to get picked for England (Picture: Getty)

He told talkSPORT: ‘They’re not international quality. The step up is massive, absolutely huge.

‘You can’t just throw untried, untested players in. Especially in a partnership.

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‘I think Coady is next on the list.

‘You know what you’re going to get, he’s got a few caps, he’s solid, he’s steady, he’s a good lad, he’s a good pro.

‘He won’t cause issues if he’s not getting picked.”

Pressed as to why Tyrone Mings, part of the Euro 2020 squad, isn’t an option, Mills said: ‘Because he’s terrible. I think Maguire is better on the ball.’

MORE : Harry Kane claims Harry Maguire ‘played on one leg’ against Germany

MORE : Harry Maguire issues apology after costly ‘mistake’ in England’s draw against Germany

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