While many England supporters and professional footballers might fail to understand exactly why Ben White has seemingly turned his back on a career with his national team at just 26, there are few who would doubt his quiet belief in his decision.
There has been no public back-and-forth between the two parties. Speculation about whether the Arsenal defender had fallen out with assistant coach Steve Holland rumbled before being briefly but firmly denied by Gareth Southgate. And White has refused to comment, leaving his team-mates to step into the breach.