by Hannah Hampton was excluded from the England squad for the November international friendlies against Japan and Norway in the same week she was eliminated from her club, Aston Villa.
On Tuesday, lioness manager Sarina Wiegman named a 25-player squad that includes homeless youngsters Maya Le Tissier and Katie Robinson, but it’s the third time in a row that the Villa Hampton goalkeeper has been barred from Europeans when he was part of the 23 -group of players who in July won the first major trophy of the women’s national team. Wiegman instead continued with Mary Earps, Ellie Roebuck and Sandy MacIver in goal.
Manchester United striker Alessia Russo returns after injury, but captain Leah Williamson – as expected – is sidelined with a foot injury. Fit Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs and Chelsea’s Niamh Charles are back on the pitch.
Despite Williamson’s continued absence through injury, there is no place in Wiegman’s squad for former captain Steph Houghton, whom he hasn’t chosen since leaving the Manchester City skipper out of the European squad. With Manchester United’s Le Tissier now seemingly above Houghton in Wiegman’s defender hierarchy, the odds of Houghton being recalled under Wiegman now seem slim.
In the last two games of a hitherto undefeated 2022, England will meet Japan, the 2011 World Cup winners, on Friday 11 November, before a clash against Norway, which they beat in the Euros group stage in July, on Tuesday 15 November. November. Both matches will be played at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia, Spain at 19:00 GMT.
“These will again be two good tough matches for us, which is just what we want and need at this stage,” said Wiegman, as he continues to prepare for next summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. “We will meet a team in Norway that we know a lot about and that is building again under Hege [Riise]. However, before that we have a tough match against Japan, which is bringing a different style of play which is good preparation for the World Cup.
“We hope that the conditions in Spain will help us to maximize our training as every session counts, along with the matches of course, to help us get ready for the World Cup. We can’t waste a minute and I can’t wait to get back on track. grass. We have some new players to watch because we know we have so much competition for the upcoming seats. “
