England Women's head coach Phil Neville has named a 30-player squad for the Lionesses’ September training camp at St. George’s Park, heralding the start of a long-term build towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.
The next three years will see England target glory at the home UEFA EURO and FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as next year’s home nations collaboration for Team GB Football’s Olympic campaign.
Having injected a cohort of young hopefuls into his squad for the Lionesses’ last meeting at the SheBelieves Cup in the USA, Neville and his senior backroom team have significantly widened the group to expose a number of uncapped players to the elite senior environment.
Among the players receiving their first senior call-ups are defenders Lotte Wubben-Moy, Millie Turner and Esme Morgan, midfielders Niamh Charles, Ella Toone and Katie Zelem, and forward Rinsola Babajide who have all previously featured in the development set up in recent years.
It's hoped that the younger squad members will benefit from the experience of the core senior internationals and provide strong competition for places as the Lionesses build towards the forthcoming major tournaments.
Due to quarantine restrictions in place for travel from certain countries, a small number of senior players who ply their trade at foreign clubs have not been included in September’s squad.
“This is a critical moment in our development of England Women," said Neville.
"Every camp from now on is aimed at building a team capable of competing for the highest honours in world football, including the prestigious home EURO in 2022 and, ultimately, the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.
“It's important that we offer as many opportunities as possible for some of the country’s best young talent to stake their claim for a place in the senior England squad for this exciting three-year period.
“All of the young talent who have been given their opportunity today are extremely deserving of their senior call-ups, having performed strongly at club level and through England’s development teams. Now is their opportunity to prove themselves at senior international level and I'm excited to see the blend of youthful ambition and senior experience.
“Introducing greater competition for places and providing opportunities for young players to develop is absolutely key to taking England Women to the next level as we begin the long build towards the home EURO and FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
The Lionesses will meet up on Tuesday 15 September for an intensive training camp at their Burton base. The seven-day camp will also include an 11v11 training game behind closed doors on Friday 18 September.
The Squad
Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Birmingham City), Sandy MacIver (Everton), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City), Carly Telford (Chelsea)
Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Millie Bright (Chelsea), Grace Fisk (West Ham United), Alex Greenwood (N/A), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Abbie McManus (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (N/A)
Midfielders: Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Katie Zelem (Manchester United)
Forwards: Rinsola Babajide (Liverpool), Rachel Daly (West Ham United, loan from Houston Dash), Bethany England (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (N/A), Ellen White (Manchester City)
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