POOLE-BORN defender Ben White has been added to England’s Euro 2020 squad.

The 23-year-old was selected by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was forced to withdraw from the 26-man party due to injury.

White made his debut in last week’s 1-0 friendly win over Austria and impressed as he started alongside Tyrone Mings in Sunday’s victory against Romania.

Alexander-Arnold was ruled out after suffering a thigh injury late on against Austria and Southgate took his time to decide which of his standby players would come in.

Everton defender Ben Godfrey and Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse were other options who both started the Romania game, while Jesse Lingard and Ollie Watkins were also on the standby list, but will now return home.

White’s inclusion was announced by the Football Association on Monday morning as the team continue preparations for their European Championship opener against Croatia.

Having trained in Middlesbrough, with both friendlies taking place at the Riverside Stadium, the squad will now be based at St George’s Park.

Euro 2020 kicks off on Friday night, with England’s clash with Croatia at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.

White 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 Southampton as a teenager and coming through lower league loan spells, before helping Leeds United clinch promotion from the Championship last season and now establishing himself as a key centre-back for Brighton.

The defender was part of a Poole and East Dorset under-15s team which included Sam Surridge, who has gone on to become part of Cherries' first-team squad, as well as Cherries academy midfielder Keelan O'Connell and Weymouth goalkeeper Gerard Benfield.

They reached the 2013 English Schools under-15 Trophy quarter-finals, with a dramatic win over Swansea at Canford Park. The 4-4 draw included a stunning long-range White strike, before both he and Surridge notched in the penalty shoot-out triumph.