Phil Neville has packed his England squad for this month’s training camp with youth and handed the Manchester United forward Lauren James her first senior call-up.
“I’m delighted to give Lauren James her first call-up,” the manager said. “She is an exciting young player that we want to help develop further. She joins the squad alongside many other young players who we’ve introduced over the last few months.”
James, who is the sister of the Chelsea defender Reece, is part of a 29-player squad. Following the cancellation of the 1 December match against Norway, which had been due to be played at Bramall Lane, two internal friendlies will instead take place.
“Although sadly we no longer have a competitive fixture every minute spent on the training pitch and in planning is crucial and plays an important part in preparing for the Euros,” said Neville.
Missing out once more are the fit-again Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, the Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps, the Atlético Madrid forward Toni Duggan and the Lyon forward Jodie Taylor. The Chelsea centre-back Millie Bright is also omitted, though it is believed she picked up a knock in Sunday’s London derby against Arsenal. Manchester United’s Abbie McManus and Katie Zelem, Everton’s Izzy Christiansen and Chelsea’s Fran Kirby have all dropped out having been involved in September’s camp.
The cancellation of the Germany and Norway games means Jill Scott will have to wait for an opportunity to claim her 150th cap, which would make her the second Lioness to reach that milestone, behind her former teammate Fara Williams.
There is a return to the squad for Manchester City’s Laura Coombs, whose last appearance for England was in October 2015. Rinsola Babajide and Lotte Wubben-Moy, of Liverpool and Arsenal respectively, both receive their second senior call-ups following their involvement in the September camp.
Neville said: “This has been a challenging time for everyone, but it will be good to finish the year with an intensive training camp during which the squad will develop further and in which every player has the chance to prove themselves ahead of our upcoming major tournaments.
“This camp will give us another excellent opportunity to integrate young promising players with our experienced internationals and align everyone on the team’s long-term vision.”
from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2II2X8r
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