Arsenal star 'worth its weight in gold'; World Cup snub would mean Southgate 'don't like it'

Kevin Campbell has argued Arsenal defender Ben White should be 'worth his weight in gold' for England as his 'versatility' makes him a valuable asset.

The Gunners spent around £50million to sign White last summer after enjoying a successful first season in the Premier League with Brighton.

The Englishman performed well for Arsenal last season as he was often paired with Gabriel Magalhaes as centre-back.

This summer, William Saliba returned to the club and he forged a superb partnership with Gabriel.

That could have easily left White in the pecking order. But he's been converted to a right-back this season and he's thriving in that role.

There is less than a month until the start of the World Cup in Qatar. White has been capped four times for England with his last outing during the March international break earlier this year.

His form is becoming hard to ignore, however, and injuries to Kyle Walker and Reece James have boosted White's chances of going to the tournament.

Former Arsenal striker Campbell believes White's form 'should be good enough' for him to make it to the World Cup.

"I think a versatile player like Ben White, who can play as a centre-back in a two or a three and as a right-back, so I think he should be worth his weight in gold," Campbell told talkSPORT .

"This is where you consider the injuries that have happened within this England team.

"Ultimately it's up to the manager and if Gareth Southgate doesn't like him then I don't see Ben White going to the World Cup.

“It all depends on the manager, if the manager likes Ben White then he is playing at a very high level at the moment.

"He also plays for the league leaders, which should be enough in my opinion.

"The manager needs to know what Ben White can and cannot do, so the only reason he's not going to Qatar is if he doesn't like him as far as I'm concerned."

Campbell is also a big fan of Bukayo Saka. He believes the winger 'should start' for England this winter.

"For me, I think [Saka] should start, but a lot of it depends on what formation Gareth Southgate is playing," Campbell added.

"We saw him tinkering with the formation, playing three at the back, five in midfield and two up front. It doesn't sit well with Saka as much because he's not a wing-back.

"Saka is a winger, a wide man, a wide striker and where he operates best is on the right side where he can cut on his left foot.

"Or we've seen times when he goes outside.

“Against Bodo/Glimt we saw the outside fall and his goal against Leeds with his so-called weaker foot produced that devastating finish.

"So he's improving, which is always a good thing when you're heading into a World Cup."

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