Women's Euro 2022 Official Squad Annoucement

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With the Women’s Euro 2022 fast-approaching, Serena Wiegman has officially announced the 23-player squad that she will be taking to the tournament. England kick off the Euros at a sold-out Old Trafford on 6 July when they play Austria, with the competition coming to an end on 31 July with a Wembley final. Ahead of the tournament, the Lionesses will play Belgium at Molineux in their first of three pre-tournament friendlies and will also take on Switzerland at the Letzigrud stadium and Wiegman’s old Netherlands side at Elland Road. Wiegman has said that recent training camps has given her a lot of insight ahead of making her final selection decision and that “the chance to represent the nation on such a big stage on home soil is one to relish”. With Wiegman taking over the England squad in September, the Lionesses have an impressive record of being unbeaten, scoring 72 goals and only conceding one. 

England manager Sarina Wiegman at a press conference to announce the England Women's Euro 2022 squad  

Mirroring the positive atmosphere and togetherness attitude of the England Men’s squad, the Lionesses have a very good team to take them to the tournament. Despite nine players (Ellie Roebuck, Hampton, Jess Carter, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Alessia Russo, Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly and Bethany England) taking part in their first major tournament in an England shirt, the level of quality and skill that this side possess is what makes them one to watch in the Euros. The Lionesses will be captained by Leah Williamson and vice-captained by Millie Bright and Ellen White who is England’s all-time leading goal scorer and will be playing in her third successive Euros.

Arsenal defender Leah Williamson named England captain for Euro 2022 | Sport | The Times 

Steph Houghton, who has captained England for 8 years has missed out on final selection after suffering an Achilles injury that saw her miss the majority of the season. Houghton has had a big impact on the English game but hasn’t played under Wiegman sustaining the injury in the first England camp of the season. Houghton will be absent for the first time in five major tournaments and although it is a disappointing decision both for Houghton and the team as a whole, Wiegman said that Houghton just “isn’t ready to compete yet”. Other players who have been training with the 28-player provisional squad but do not feature in the final selection are Sandy MacIver, Niamh Charles, Katie Zelem and Lucy Staninforth. These players have only played a total of 46 minutes (combined) under Wiegman, so it is no real surprise to see them omitted from the final squad selection. However, the opportunity for players to feature is not completely dormant as teams will be able to make changes to the squad submitted to UEFA in the event of injury or illness before 26th June.

Former captain Steph Houghton has been battling an Achilles injury

Frank Kirby and Jill Scott have been included in the final squad despite suffering from various injuries. Fran Kirby missed the second half of the season due to fatigue but returned for Chelsea's FA Cup Final against Man city; despite not playing. Wiegman has said that Kirby's ability to create chances is "something that no other England player has or has had for many years". Scott, who is England's second most-capped player at 156 caps is known for her last-minute winners and can pose a real threat in the box. Suffering from injury, Scott continued to train after the end of the season to regain fitness which has proved to be successful saw it sees her included in the final squad.

 Lionesses squad announcement: Fran Kirby, Jill Scott named in Euros squad, Steph Houghton misses out - Eurosport

Full Women’s England Squad for Women’s Euro 2022

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City).

Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (unattached), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Jill Scott (unattached), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal).

Forwards: Beth England (Chelsea), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Ellen White (Manchester City).

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