Ben White scores on England return but faces boos

Arsenal defender Ben White made a dramatic return to the England squad on Friday, coming off the bench in a 1-1 friendly draw against Uruguay at Wembley Stadium, only to face boos from sections of the home crowd amid lingering questions over his abrupt departure from the 2022 World Cup camp.

White, 28, entered the match in the 69th minute as a replacement for Fikayo Tomori and scored his first international goal just 12 minutes later, putting England ahead from close range. The celebration was overshadowed by jeers from fans, who also booed when his name was announced as the scorer. The evening turned sour in added time when White was penalized for fouling Federico Vinas inside the box following a VAR review, allowing Federico Valverde to equalize from the spot and secure a draw for the visitors.

The hostile reception stemmed from White's four-year absence from international duty, which began when he left England's Qatar camp during the group stage for personal reasons. He had rejected subsequent call-ups under former manager Gareth Southgate and only rejoined the team this month as an injury replacement for Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah.