Marcelo Bielsa has praised Ben White within the wake of the Arsenal star’s international return being overshadowed by the boos he was subjected by England fans.
The previous Brighton defender endured the rare ignominy of receiving stick from the Wembley crowd after putting England 1-0 up.
White was making his first England appearance since he walked out of the 2022 World Cup squad on account of ‘personal reasons’ after which made himself unavailable for selection for the rest of Sir Gareth Southgate’s reign.
Thomas Tuchel wanted to offer him a ‘second likelihood’ and White enjoyed an eventful 25 minutes on the pitch.
He was jeered as he got here on to switch Fikayo Tomori, then booed again as he opened the scoring, before making a gift of a late penalty which allowed Federico Valverde to earn Uruguay a draw.
Bielsa played an enormous role within the early a part of White’s profession when the pair spent a season together at Leeds United when the Yorkshite club won promotion to the Premier League.
No coach of Uruguay, the veteran coach has kept a keen eye on the versatile defender’s profession and is delighted to see him thriving again on the international sate.
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Speaking in his post match press conference, he said: ‘Obviously I’ve known him for a really very long time. I used to be just very comfortable to see him and I’m very comfortable to see how he has developed in his profession.
‘I saw him as he was sitting there and it was a possibility to see him and say hello.’
White, meanwhile, also received the support of Three Lions teammate Jordan Henderson who knows the way it feels to receive the ire of the Wembley crowd, after he was booed following his ill-fated move to Saudi Arabia.
The midfielder said: ‘As team-mates we’re all the time there to support. Loads of the fans will likely be in support of all the players.
‘I even have been through it myself, but that is an element and parcel of being an England player.
‘Among the fans probably don’t even know why they’re booing, they hearken to what’s being said within the media, and a number of the time what the media says isn’t true.
‘Not many individuals know the ins and outs of what happened in Qatar and it’s for us to cope with internally.
‘Ben has been good since he got here back in and we’ll support him as team-mates.
‘Just a few of us have been there, it’s difficult when it’s you, but you could have to try to not take it too personally, the media can spin things in certain ways, which isn’t all the time the reality after which fans can pick up on that and think it’s the reality.
‘It is de facto difficult when that happens, so it is vital for us to be certain he’s OK, which I’m sure he’s. I used to be delighted he got on and got a goal, which is an important thing.’
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