#PLStories- #BenWhite says When I was at Saints I didn’t have any confidence’ #BHAFC SAINTSFC

ENGLAND defender Ben White admitted he “didn’t have any confidence” coming through the youth ranks at Saints before reviving his career at Brighton. The 23-year-old grew up in the south, attending Queen Elizabeth's School in Wimborne, while also playing football for county side Poole and East Dorset. His path to the top was far from straightforward, released by Saints as a teenager and coming through lower league loan spells, before helping Leeds United clinch promotion from the Championship and now establishing himself as a key centre-back for Brighton. Now part of England’s Euro 2020 group, White could feature in Gareth Southgate’s squad when they take on Germany in the last 16 on Tuesday. But the centre-back admits he is a totally different person now than when he found himself struggling in the academy at Saints. “When I was at Southampton I didn’t have any confidence,” he told talkSPORT. “The way I play now is with a lot of confidence. It’s the complete opposite of what I used to be. “I think coming through Brighton the coaches and the people really believed in me. “I think you get that with playing and at Southampton I was on the sidelines a lot. But I went Brighton and went straight into the team and played. “It’s tough when you get released and you’re not wanted. Especially when you’re young, it’s hard to deal with. “You either sink or swim, but for me I obviously wanted it a lot and it was the only thing I wanted at the time, so I went for it.” The defender has this summer been linked with a big money move to Arsenal, but insists his only focus at present is on progressing with England. Speaking about that speculation, White added: “It’s nice, it’s happened quite a lot over the last two years, there’s been a lot of noise. “You don’t know what’s true and what’s not. So there’s no real point talking about it.”