Sarina Wiegman has explained that a lack of midfield “depth” was behind Erica Meg Parkinson’s shock call-up for England’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers against Spain and Iceland.
Parkinson is currently playing for Portugal’s Valadares Gaia but has been unexpectedly named in England’s senior squad to face Spain and Iceland on 14 and 18 April respectively.
Wiegman in her post squad announcement press conference explained that a lack of depth in midfield due to injuries to Grace Clinton and Ella Toone led to the decision to call the 17-year old up to the senior squad, but is confident that this is a chance for her to show her progress and potential.
“Well, first of all, we called her up because we’re a little bit low in depth in midfield with injuries to Ella [Toone] and Grace Clinton. So of course, then we’re going to look at who’s next and Erica has come through the pathway. She plays in Portugal and she’s done well with the WU23s.
“She’s a very dynamic attacking midfielder, wants to go forward and is also very aggressive and pretty technical. And of course, it’s a big step from the WU23s and the Portuguese competition to go into our senior level. But she gets the opportunity to show where she stands at our level.”
Leah Williamson meanwhile has been included in the squad despite having missed Arsenal’s last three matches in all competitions, due to a hamstring injury but Wiegman is “expecting” the defender to be fit for selection in two weeks time.
“Leah came back from injury after the EUROs, then she’s had some small setbacks, but overall she’s doing really well and when she plays, she’s playing really well. We have been careful with her, so have Arsenal.
“Mainly, she herself is really, really on that too so I think she’s going to make it and that’s why we put her in the squad.”
Wiegman also iterated that she would of included Williamson in the squad even if April’s international window had been friendlies, and the challenge will be game management as she builds herself back up to full fitness.
No, I think I would put her on the squad anyway, because I think she’s in a good place and she’s building. The niggles she picked up are not the worst, but it just takes a little bit of time. But because of where she comes from over the last couple of months, we just need to be careful with her.”
With injuries posing a big talking point at the business end of the club season, Wiegman is wary of the risks and explained that they have a plan for working out how to deal with injuries affecting the squad selections in terms of calling up replacement players.
“Well, we know this is the world we live in and every time there are some injuries, there’s a lot of games to be played. This is a very high level and this is what we have so when someone gets injured, who’s next?
“We follow a lot of players very closely and of course, we look at a lot have they done before. Did they build some credits with us? Are they in-form right now? And of course, then it’s good that you’re fit and you’re available and then when someone gets injured, we know which other options we have and that’s how we work.”
England currently sit top of their Women’s World Cup Qualifying Group from Spain after they beat Ukraine and Iceland last month, but Wiegman believes that their final-third end product is still in progress against robust well-organised opposition.
“Well, we learned a lot about ourselves again. There was a lot of energy in the team. I think everyone was really excited that the World Cup qualifiers were starting and we really put a lot of emphasis on us being in possession and why we have struggled to be more ruthless in the final third.
“I think we made steps in that because I think also Ukraine and Iceland, they’re hard to beat. They’re really very well organised, both a little bit in a different way, but we really had to break down the wall and I think we did that pretty well.
“I think against Iceland, we could have scored earlier but I think we did better than we had done before so I was really happy with that.
“Against Spain, I expect a different game. Of course, we want to be on the ball, but we also know that Spain is really good on the ball and that we won’t have the ball all the time so that asks different things from our team.”