Sarina Wiegman has named her first Lionesses squad to kick off their UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign.
The England manager has selected a 24-player squad to kick off an important 2025 as the Lionesses travel to Portugal before hosting Spain.
It sees the return of forward Nikita Parris for the first time since November 2022. The 30-year-old has scored six in all competitions since joining Brighton last summer.
“We always watch a lot of players and I’ve chosen other players in the last two years,” Wiegman stated. “But she’s doing well and she’s in good form. She knows what’s needed in international football. I want to see her in our environment and to see if she can take this opportunity.”
There is, however, no place for Chloe Kelly who has seen limited football this campaign while at Manchester City. The forward made a much-discussed loan move to Arsenal but has yet to play for her new side due to being unable to play against her parent club and then being cup-tied in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
Wiegman stated her reasoning behind the decision but also made it clear that the door was not closed forever.
“She hasn’t played enough in my opinion,” she said. “She has moved clubs now but last autumn she hardly played. She had built up some credit but over that time she played so few minutes that she must now get started at Arsenal, get minutes in, start playing, show what she’s about and then we can revisit it again.”
Niamh Charles, Ella Toone and Lauren James return to the fold after recovering from injury while Laura Blindkilde Brown and Ruby Mace have retained their places after stepping up from the U23s in the final camp of 2024. England remain without Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Fran Kirby and Georgia Stanway.
The Lionesses open their Nations League campaign away to Portugal in League A Group 3. They will face Francisco Neto’s side in Portimão on Friday 21 February (19:45 GMT kick off). They will then return home to face World Champions and current Nations League holders Spain at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday 26 February (20:00 GMT kick off)
