Sarina Wiegman has named Fran Kirby and Keira Walsh in her 25-player squad for England’s Women’s Nations League double header against Belgium this month, but there is no place for Arsenal forward Beth Mead.
Chelsea forward Kirby has earned her first call-up this year since sustaining a knee injury in February while Barcelona’s Walsh is back after missing the matches against Scotland and the Netherlands in September because of a calf issue.
It’s very nice she is back on the pitch. She’s fit and she’s healthy, and she played really well she’s been on the pitch with Chelsea. She’s been building to those moments during the summer and she’s shown enough quality in her performance.
However, Mead is not included despite making her first appearance for Arsenal on Sunday since her knee injury last November, coming off the bench and setting up the winner in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.
Wiegman said: “To be honest, she wasn’t close [to being selected].
“She’s been out for nine months but she’s in a good place now. She’s had her first minutes, which was very nice to see and she was really happy and the crowd was really happy, which gave her a lot of energy.
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England women’s head coach Sarina Wiegman says Arsenal’s Beth Mead is not yet close to a call-up to her squad but she is in a good place and making progress towards an eventual return
“But she has to build up with her club now, show performances for her club and get that consistency back.
“Of course, I hope she performs at that level, we hope she can get back to that level, and then we have an opportunity to select her and she has the opportunity to compete with the players that are in the squad right now.”
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Manchester United midfielder Grace Clinton, on loan at Tottenham, and Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating have been called up to the senior squad for the first time. The pair have made the step up from the England Women’s U23s squad after their impressive starts to the new Women’s Super League season.
On the new call-ups, Wiegman said: “We have a lot of young players in the squad who have been selected over a longer period of time. That’s really good and it shows how much talent England has.
“Grace and Khiara have had good performances at club level.
“What I want to see from them now is to see how they relate to the other players in the squad and show what they can do.
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England were beaten in the Nations League by the Netherlands
When asked if the squad needs fresher faces as the build to the Olympics continues, she added: “In the squad it is about performing.
“You want to pick the best players in the country and hopefully they can contribute to our performances.
“Yes, it’s nice to have a good balance but age doesn’t count much in the moment because ewe have two very important games against Belgium, and that’s for qualification for the Olympics and winning the group in the Nations League.”
Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy returns after withdrawing from the September squad with an injury.
Katie Robinson, Jordan Nobbs, Laura Coombs and Lucy Staniforth drop out.
Wiegman’s side continue their Group A1 matches by facing Belgium at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on Friday October 27 and then again away four days later, having started their campaign with a 2-1 win over Scotland and 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in September.
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England’s Lucy Bronze celebrates scoring against Scotland
“It’s good for us to be back together,” Wiegman said. “Obviously we had a good start with the win against Scotland; however, the outcome of our last fixture against the Netherlands was disappointing.
“We will be fully focused on performing well twice against tough opposition. Belgium’s results in the Nations League show they are a talented side who can cause teams problems, so we will need to be at our best to get the results we’re looking for.
“The group is wide open, so every game is crucial. The squad have shown their ability to respond to setbacks and I’m sure this will be no different. We look forward to meeting up at St George’s Park next Monday and putting in the time to make sure we’re fully prepared and ready to go twice in quick succession.
“Again we feel very fortunate to be playing in front of a sell-out crowd. The support we are receiving from all corners of the country is amazing, it isn’t something we’ll ever take for granted and it really gives us that extra lift. Hopefully we can give them another night to remember.”
England squad:
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City).
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lucy Parker (Aston Villa), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal).
Midfielders: Grace Clinton (Tottenham on loan from Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Katie Zelem (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona).
Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Jess Park (Manchester City), Alessia Russo (Arsenal).
Wiegman: I feel safe to go to Belgium
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England women’s head coach Sarina Wiegman says she feels safe to travel to Belgium with the rest of her squad later this month despite the recent terror attack in Brussels
Meanwhile, Wiegman insists she feels safe to travel to Belgium with the rest of her squad later this month despite the recent terror attack in Brussels.
Two Swedish nationals were killed in the attack with the fatal shootings on Monday evening causing Belgium’s Euro 2024 Qualifier against Sweden to be abandoned at half-time. Both sets of fans were kept in the stadium as armed officers searched for the attacker.
The terror alert has been raised to its highest level in Belgium as a result of the incident, with the government in Brussels saying they cannot rule out the presence of further accomplices.
When asked how she felt about taking her team to Belgium, Wiegman said: “It’s an awful situation. Two people have been killed which is very, very horrible.
“Of course, the FA will have conversations with the Belgian FA about safety.
“I feel safe enough to go there and I haven’t talked to the players yet because they are still with their clubs.
“There are conversations going on and I think they will do everything to make us feel safe.”
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