Today, at 1230 hours, Sarina Wiegman named her first Lionesses squad of 2025. It is also the first since this blog was launched (Episode #01, “Do they Know It’s Euro Time?” went live on December 16^th and is well worth investigating). I was hoping to watch the announcement live on Instagram but was busy with a can of Laura Ashley eggshell (in Cotton White) and a paint brush (Hamilton 2” angled). No doubt I could have tuned into Wiegman’s press conference but my EarPods were playing a true crime podcast (“Coatbridge: the Disappearance of Moira Anderson”) while I was busy throwing paint around. As a result I didn’t see the full squad until I was back home.

It was disappointing, but not all that surprising, to see Chloe Kelly absent from the twenty-four names that comprise England’s squad for the Women’s Nations League games against Portugal and Spain in the coming weeks. Kelly last played for Manchester City on December 15^th  – the day before I wrote my first blog piece – and has yet to play for Arsenal following her loan move to the capital. Wiegman insists Kelly is “not out for the Euros”, saying she “hasn’t played enough” and needs “minutes at Arsenal” before they “can revisit”. I hope her inclusion in future squads is revisited and that Kelly gets the chance to add to her 48 international caps to date.

It also wasn’t a surprise to see the returns, after injury, of Lauren James and Niamh Charles, both of Chelsea. James is a forward who turns defenders inside-out and upside-down; she is a constant threat to the opposition goal. When not letting the red mist descend, James is a quality player and a potent attacking weapon for the Lionesses. Charles is versatile, happy as a winger or an attacking fullback, and gives Sarina options on the left-side of the pitch.

THE SQUAD:

Goalkeepers:

Mary Earps (Paris St. Germain) (52 caps, 26 cleansheets)

Hannah Hampton (Chelsea WFC) ((10 caps, 4 cleansheets)

Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride) (0 caps, 0 clean sheets)

Defenders:

Millie Bright (Chelsea WFC) (84 caps, 5 senior goals)

Lucy Bronze (Chelsea WFC) (127 caps, 16 senior goals)

Jess Carter (Gotham FC) (39 caps, 2 senior goals)

Niamh Charles (Chelsea WFC) (18 caps, 0 senior goals)

Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United WFC) (7 caps, 0 senior goals)

Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit) (10 caps, 0 senior goals)

Millie Turner (Manchester United WFC) (2 caps, 0 senior goals)

Leah Williamson (Arsenal WFC) (51 caps, 5 senior goals)

Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal WFC) (13 caps, 1 senior goals)

Midfielders:

Laura Blindkilde-Brown (Manchester City WFC) (1 caps, 0 senior goals)

Grace Clinton (Manchester United WFC) (5 caps, 3 senior goals)

Ruby Mace (Leicester City WFC) (1 caps, 0 senior goals)

Jess Park (Manchester City WFC) (13 caps, 1 senior goals)

Ella Toone (Manchester United WFC) (53 caps, 19 senior goals)

Keira Walsh (Chelsea WFC) (80 caps, 0 senior goals)

Forwards:

Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea WFC) (2 caps, 0 senior goals)

Lauren James (Chelsea WFC) (24 caps, 7 senior goals)

Beth Mead (Arsenal WFC) (63 caps, 33 senior goals)

Jess Naz (Tottenham Hotspur WFC) (5 caps, 0 senior goals)

Nikita Parris (Brighton & Hove Albion WFC) (71 caps, 17 senior goals)

Alessia Russo (Arsenal WFC) (46 caps, 20 senior goals)

And, drumroll please…dum dum dum dum dum dum…Ella Toone is back! Ella has hit a rich vein of goal-scoring – six in five games – since returning in January for Manchester United and is, happily, once more playing with a smile on her face. Both of which – her goals and visible joy at being on the pitch – bode well for England as Euro2025 draws ever closer.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Nikita Parris back among the Lionesses. Her bright start at Brighton – nine goals in nineteen appearances to date, including four in the WSL – has seen her recalled to the England set-up for the first time in over two years. I like Parris’s competitive nature and the way she constantly harasses and niggles at defenders. She really gets under their skin and can cause all sorts of problems for opposition teams. It is something England sides have lacked recently.

But a big – no, a huge – loss for these two February games – and possibly the squad that flies to Switzerland – is that of midfielder Georgia Stanway. She had surgery on January 30^th after rupturing her LCL (lateral collateral ligament) while training for Bayern Munich. Her club stated she had undergone a successful operation but added that Stanway would be out for “several months”. Her likely absence at the Euros will be a huge loss to the Lionesses this summer as they attempt to retain their status as European Champions.

Throw into the mix the current omissions of Manchester City duo Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp – both, like Stanway, have sustained knees injuries – and it is a worrying time to be a Lionesses fan. Sarina is optimistic, though. She says she is “hopeful” that these three players will make it back in time. Hemp’s operation was in November and Greenwood went under the surgeon’s knife in December so they appear the most likely of the trio to achieve fitness ahead of the summer.

Happily though, Leicester City’s youngster, Ruby Mace, has once more been called up by Sarina. The 21-year-old defensive midfielder showed what a promising talent she is when making her debut against Switzerland back in December. Already capped at U17, U19 and U23 levels, Mace’s further inclusion in today’s senior squad may go someway towards mitigating the loss of Stanway.

 I hope Stanway has time on her side to recover. The Lionesses need her and every asset available to be successful in the promised (Switzer)land.