Ben White joins up with Arsenal squad in Dubai after leaving England camp early

Arsenal defender Ben White has linked up with his Gunners team-mates in Dubai for some mid-season friendlies and warm weather training just weeks after he pulled out of the England World Cup squad.

The versatile right-back sparked headlines and rumours aplenty when he withdrew from the Three Lions squad and left their Qatar training base during the group stage of the tournament, though it has since been revealed that White's departure was prompted by an alleged bust-up between himself and assistant boss Steve Holland.

The 25-year-old failed to play a single minute for his country in Qatar during the three games he was there for and though the FA cited personal reasons as the explanation behind his mysterious exit, it is rumoured the reported bust-up is what convinced White to head home.

As per the Daily Star, White is alleged to have struggled to fully integrate within certain sections of the England squad and was not up to date on all of his personal statistics - something that is thought to have seriously angered Gareth Southgate's assistant.

That won't concern Mikel Arteta, who is likely to just be delighted he has one of his first-team regulars back and returning in full fitness. White's lack of game-time for England means he should be ready to come in and resume his club duties the moment the Premier League returns.

White is not the only Gunners favourite to link back up with Arteta and co from World Cup duties, Japan's Takehiro Tomiyasu, Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli and Switzerland skipper Granit Xhaka are all also expected to meet with the team in Dubai in the coming days.

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Tomiyasu's appearance at the training camp would come as somewhat of a surprise considering how crestfallen he was when Japan were eliminated from the World Cup via a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out.

After the game, the Gunners defender conceded he may need a break from football. "Hopefully I can get a bit of rest. I need time to forget about football. I need a bit of time," Tomiyasu conceded.

"Of course we are so disappointed with the result. My performance was a disaster today so I am sorry for the team.

"I just need to be much better to help the team. It was not enough and also for the team we did not deserve to win. We were so close to achieving our aim.

"They were better than us. I can't be proud. I am not satisfied about what happened. This is football and yeah, we need to be much, much better to win against a stronger team."

White is likely to be included in Arsenal's side for their first Premier League game after the World Cup, when West Ham make the trip across London to the Emirates on Boxing Day.

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