Sarina Wiegman, the manager of the England women’s team, has included Arsenal’s Leah Williamson in the roster for the upcoming friendlies against Austria and Italy. However, she has chosen not to call up Manchester United’s Nikita Parris, despite strong arguments for her return.
Parris has been in top form, scoring six goals in her last seven games and a total of 15 in all competitions this season. Many were expecting her to be called up for the England squad, but Wiegman was not fully convinced and did not include her in the lineup. Parris had previously been a standout player for the Lionesses under both Mark Sampson and Phil Neville.
Wiegman does not want the 29-year-old, who has 71 senior caps, to lose hope of being selected for the squad competing for Euro 2025 qualification. She stated, “There is tough competition in the forward position and we have made other choices this month.”
“However, since the start of the new year, Parris has been performing excellently in the nine position. This has not gone unnoticed by our team. I spoke with her briefly and I hope she can maintain this level of play consistently, as we are closely monitoring her performance. It was a difficult decision.”
Williamson, who had previously suffered an ACL injury, is now ready to make a comeback as a central defender for the first time since April of last year. Wiegman expressed her excitement about having her back on the team. After a meeting with the squad next week, Wiegman is likely to announce that Williamson will resume her role as captain for England.
“She is a talented athlete and has returned to play for Arsenal, receiving ample playing time and performing admirably. The staff at Arsenal are pleased with her growth and development. Despite her extended absence and ongoing progress, her ability to make decisions on the field is impressive.”
England head to southern Spain for a warm weather training camp next week and face Austria on 23 February before meeting Italy four days later. Both friendlies will take place in Algeciras.
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Wiegman stated that the journey towards Euro 2025 starts here, with the qualifying process occurring from April to July. The opponents for England will be chosen through a draw on March 5th for the tournament in Switzerland next year.
Even though Team GB did not make it to the Paris Olympics this summer, Wiegman expressed concern about the busy schedule for club and international games. This may result in top players in Europe not getting enough time off during the summer break. She urged Fifa and Uefa to address this issue, stating that players at the highest level require adequate rest and improvements need to be made by 2025.
Source: theguardian.com
