The shock retirements of Mary Earps and Fran Kirby and returns from injury for three key players made it an eventful week for the European champions
In so many ways, this past week has been defining for England. For one, it confirmed what the Lionesses' plans for the autumn will be, with friendly matches to take place in their calendar rather than the Nations League finals, owing to Tuesday's defeat to Spain. More specifically – and, for most fans, more significantly – it has seriously impacted Sarina Wiegman's thinking when it comes to her squad for this summer's European Championship.
That started in a big way before a ball had even been kicked, when Mary Earps announced her shock international retirement last Thursday morning, the day before England's 6-0 win over Portugal. The Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper had been in a battle with Hannah Hampton to be the Lionesses No.1 for the Euros, but her decision to step away from the team just weeks before the tournament spelled the end of that race prematurely.
On Tuesday night, another bombshell dropped, as Fran Kirby followed her team-mate out of the England door by announcing the end of her international career, having been told she would not even be in the squad heading to Switzerland. Then, the triple-whammy was completed the following morning, as Millie Bright announced that she was withdrawing from selection for the Euro 2025 squad. The Chelsea captain had been taking an "extended period of recovery" after being "mentally and physically" at her "limits" and will now continue that through the summer in what is a huge blow to England.
In a more positive sense, it has been a significant camp for players returning to action with the Lionesses. There were serious doubts about Georgia Stanway's availability for England's Euros title defence after she underwent knee surgery in January and was unable to get back on the pitch before the end of the season. Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood managed to achieve the latter with Manchester City in the final few weeks of the Women's Super League campaign, but this was still a big camp for them to continue building, too. All three started at least one of the two matches played over this break.
That at least spelled some good news for Wiegman as she prepares to finalise her squad for the Euros, to be announced on Thursday. She admitted earlier this week that she was "pretty close" to whittling it down to the 23 names and she will certainly be even closer now – not only to the final squad, but also to knowing what her starting XI will look like when England take on France on July 5.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Lionesses final camp before the big reveal…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Hannah Hampton
Wiegman admitted back in England's April camp that Hampton was "a little bit ahead" of Earps in the race to be the Lionesses' No.1 – but she has now officially won the role. The 24-year-old has already been to two major tournaments with her country and, this time around, she will be the first-choice goalkeeper.
Hampton's status as that undisputed No.1, and the trust that Wiegman has in her to deliver in that role, was emphasised on Friday when the England boss was asked whether she had considered starting either Khiara Keating or Anna Moorhouse against Portugal, who the Lionesses beat 6-0. Neither goalkeeper has a cap to their name and yet they will be the back-up options behind Hampton this summer. "To be honest, no," Wiegman replied. "I'm happy with Khiara and Anna too, in the 'keepers unit, but Hannah is the first goalkeeper."
It's a lot of pressure to be England No.1, but Hampton has earned that right, even if its confirmation came about in a rather surprising manner this week. Now, it's about delivering on that expectation, especially given the lack of a safety net behind her.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Fran Kirby
Just days after the Earps news, Kirby followed suit by calling time on her England career. There was much less controversy here, as the Brighton forward had been informed she would not be in the squad for Euro 2025, a tournament she was planning to make her last one for the Lionesses. As such, it made sense to make the decision there and then.
It concludes what has been a tough period for Kirby since she was a vital cog in that Euro 2022 triumph. Injuries and illnesses have impacted her ability to remain an important player for her country, though she had appeared to have put herself in a good position to be involved this summer after a strong first season at Brighton.
However, there is a lot of competition in the No.10 role now, with the likes of Ella Toone, Grace Clinton and Jess Park all vying for the spot, and Lauren James also capable of shining centrally. It's good that Kirby got to go out on her own terms, to some degree, and that she feels at peace with the decision. That said, it's sad that she won't get to go out as she had hoped, by featuring in England's defence of a title she helped them lift.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Georgia Stanway
Over the last few months, there have been major, major doubts about Stanway's ability to be involved in England's Euros campaign. The Bayern Munich midfielder had surgery in late January, couldn't return to action with her club before the season was over and so came into this international break having not played a single minute of football since December.
That she was able to get back on the pitch this past week, then, was absolutely huge. It was huge for her, as she managed to get minutes under her belt in both games, with her looking impressively sharp in her first start of the year against Spain on Tuesday. It was also huge for Wiegman and England, who lack depth in the deeper midfield roles.
There are still some questions to be answered with Stanway's fitness certainly not an immediate banker based on a 15-minute substitute appearance and a 45-minute start. However, there were so many positive signs here for a player whose absence had been causing Lionesses fans some serious stress.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Grace Clinton
While good news for the whole squad, Stanway's return is slightly bad news for Grace Clinton. The 22-year-old has been starting in the No.8 role in her absence, adapting well to provide an impressive option for Wiegman to consider. Clinton has produced some excellent performances over the last few months and has repeatedly underlined just why her future is so bright, so much so that she was limiting the negative impact of Stanway's injury.
This week, though, Clinton was surprisingly quiet in England's hammering on Portugal, unable to really get in on the action in the same way thatmany of her team-mates were enjoying, and then she missed the Spain game due to suspension. While she sat on the sidelines, Stanway put in a classy first-half display before being withdrawn amid managed minutes.
Clinton is still well in the mix to play a big role this summer. After all, England's situation in midfield hasn't changed, with there not too many other options to back up Stanway – or Keira Walsh. The Manchester United star could muscle her way into the starting role at No.10, too, which is perhaps her best position. There's no doubt, though, that her chances of being in Wiegman's XI took a little hit this week.