Leah Williamson has been included in the England squad for April’s Euro 2025 qualifiers but Manchester United defender Maya Le Tissier misses out.
Williamson has not featured for England since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that ruled her out of the 2023 World Cup last April. The 26-year-old returned to the England squad in February but later withdrew due to a hamstring injury.
Sarina Wiegman has named a near-identical 23-player squad for April’s qualifiers against Sweden and the Republic of Ireland, with Le Tissier the only player to drop out.
She is replaced by Manchester United teammate Millie Turner, who was a late addition to the February squad following Williamson’s withdrawal. The 27-year-old subsequently made her senior debut against Italy.
Le Tissier has featured in all 17 of United Women’s Super League fixtures this season and was on the standby list at the 2023 World Cup.
Millie Bright, who captained England at the World Cup, continues to miss out having not featured since November due to a knee injury.
Nikita Parris is again not called up despite scoring 16 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions this season. The Manchester United forward was part of England’s Euro 2022-winning squad but lost her place in the build-up to last summer’s World Cup.
United teammate Katie Zelem also continues to miss out. The midfielder was part of the Lionesses World Cup squad but was not selected for February’s camp.
Attacking midfielder Jess Park keeps her place following her two goals during Manchester City’s 3-1 win over United at the Etihad on Saturday.
England face Sweden at Wembley on Friday April 5 before playing Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday April 9 as they begin their European Championship defence.
“We know it’s a challenging group, but it’s really exciting,” Wiegman said. “These are all big games that will test us and that’s the kind of fixtures we want to play in. Every opponent we face is a top nation and we know we have to perform at our best to achieve our goals. We’ll be ready for Sweden at Wembley.”
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England Women squad in full
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City)
Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Grace Clinton (Tottenham Hotspur, loan from Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona)
Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
(Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
