Head coach Rehanne Skinner has named her England Women's U19 squad for the upcoming Algarve Tournament.
The 20-player squad are heading out to Portugal to take on Norway [Wednesday 16 January] and Netherlands [Sunday 20 January].
FIFA U20 World Cup bronze medallists Emily Ramsey and Esme Morgan are included along with several regular starting players in the FA Women’s Super League.
Jess Park, Hannah Griffin and Lauren James gained valuable experience during England’s UEFA Women’s U17 Championship campaign and have also received call-ups.
The matches will act as vital preparation for the UEFA Women’s U19 Championship elite qualifying round on home soil in April.
The Young Lionesses have been drawn in Group 6 alongside Italy, Sweden, Turkey with the top-placed team in the round robin tournament qualifying for the Euro finals which will be staged in Scotland in July.
The elite round matches will take place between 3-9 April.
Skinner said: “We’re all looking forward to meeting up for our first camp of the new year.
“The camp and matches come at a great time and will offer us an important learning opportunity as we prepare and progress towards the elite qualifying round in April.
“We expect two tough and different tests against teams that regularly perform in UEFA Finals at this age group and are excited by both challenges.”
Squad for Algarve:
Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Birmingham City), Emily Ramsey (Manchester United)
Defenders: Niamh Cashin (Rider University), Shannon Cooke (Louisiana State University), Georgia Eaton-Collins (University of Florida), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Poppy Pattinson (Bristol City), Olivia Smith (University of Oklahoma)
Midfielders: Lauren James (Manchester United), Aimee Palmer (Manchester United), Jessica Park (Manchester City), Sophia Pharoah (Brighton and Hove Albion), Amy Rodgers (Liverpool), Emily Syme (Yeovil Town)
Forwards: Sophie Domingo (Leicester City), Nicole Douglas (Arizona State University), Lucy Fitzgerald (Millwall Lionesses), Hannah Griffin (FC Saarbrücken), Jessica Naz (Tottenham Hotspur), Ella Rutherford (Bristol City).
