Leah Williamson has been recalled to the England Women squad for friendlies against Austria and Italy.
Williamson’s return comes after her recent return to first-team action for Arsenal after nine months out with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury.
The Arsenal defender has replaced Chelsea’s Millie Bright who is the only defender not retained in the squad, after Bright suffered a knee injury in November, which forced her to withdraw following that month’s squad announcement.
In midfield, Jess Park has been recalled to the squad in place of Manchester United’s Katie Zelem who has been dropped.
Wiegman has opted not to make any tweaks to her forward line-up with Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead and Alessia Russo amongst those retained, and likewise in her goalkeeping selection as Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton and Khiara Keating kept their spots.
Addressing the media on her squad selections, manager – Sarina Wiegman iterated that these friendlies mark the start of England’s UEFA Women’s Euro title defence.
“This camp is where the road to EURO 2025 in Switzerland begins. Playing against strong teams like Austria and Italy is just the preparation we need before we kick off our qualifying campaign in April. I am really looking forward to getting back on the grass with the squad.
“It is the first time we will be back together as a group since last year. Travelling away for this camp will give us a great opportunity to connect again on and off the pitch and allow us to give minutes to many players.
“Being in Spain with hopefully good weather and excellent facilities is the perfect setting for the work we need to do as a team to get us ready for another very important year ahead.”
England will face Austria on Friday 23 February at 8:45 CET (7:45pm UK Time) live on ITV1 in the UK, then Italy on Tuesday 27 February at 6pm CET (5pm UK Time) on ITV4 for British audiences, with both matches held on neutral territory at Estadio Nuevo Mirador.
Here is the 23-player squad in full to face Austria and Italy.
Goalkeepers – Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City)
Defence – Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfield – Grace Clinton (Tottenham Hotspur – on loan from Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona)
Forwards – Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal) Alessio Russo (Arsenal)
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