Beth Mead, who led England in scoring at Euro 2022, isn’t on the team for the Women’s World Cup because she hasn’t fully healed from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The 27-year-old Arsenal forward, who hasn’t played since November, was a big question mark.
Beth England of Tottenham, who has not played since last summer, gets selected despite having scored 12 goals in her previous 12 Women’s Super League contests.
The 23-person team includes Chelsea center back Millie Bright, who hasn’t played since March due to a knee injury.
In the absence of injured defender Leah Williamson, Bright will lead the team, according to England head coach Sarina Wiegman.
Fran Kirby, a midfielder, had previously been ruled out due to injury, while Barcelona’s Lucy Bronze, a defender, is still participating after having knee surgery in April.
Wiegman claimed that she had never considered the possibility that Mead may recover in time for the competition in Australia and New Zealand.
Wiegman added, “She’s so upbeat and doing great, but with the timeline she had, we would have taken so many chances to get to the World Cup.
“I’m not willing to run the danger of pushing her too hard and having another injury occur. Players need to be taken care of.
Nikita Parris of Manchester United, a forward, and Maya le Tissier, a defender, both of whom are unavailable, have been placed on standby along with Jess Park, an unproven goalkeeper, and Emily Ramsey, a forward.
Steph Houghton, a Manchester City defender who captained England for eight years, has not been called up despite appeals for her comeback due to injuries in defense.
Six members of the team, including midfielder Laura Coombs, Chelsea teammates Lauren James and Niamh Charles, Esme Morgan of Manchester City, Katie Zelem of Manchester United, and Katie Robinson of Brighton, will be competing in their first major competition.
On July 22, England will face Haiti in their opening game in Australia.
Le Tissier came’really close’
The competition in defensive positions, where there is a lot of adaptability, made Wiegman’s choice to exclude Le Tissier, 21, one of the most difficult ones she had to make.
Despite having only two England appearances, she has performed admirably at center defense for United this year.
In June, the team will practice in St. George’s Park alongside Le Tissier, Ramsey, and Park. Ramsey, the goalkeeper, will depart the team before flying to Australia.
Wiegman remarked, “Of course [Le Tissier] was pretty near. “That was a tough decision. We have to consider it with all the defenders.
She simply failed to arrive. She has excelled during her time with Manchester United.
Le Tissier was extremely disappointed, but England received her first call-up in a year and was rewarded for her goal-scoring performance since switching from Chelsea in January.
“She was chosen due to her performances. We seldom saw her play while she was at Chelsea, so she didn’t establish a great reputation, according to Wiegman.
But then she made a move, and we decided to include her to the squad based on how she did, performed, and displayed resiliency.
A discussion topic other than selection was who would succeed Williamson as captain while she was out with her injury.
Wiegman announced that Bright will wear the armband in Australia after she was selected the vice-captain for Euro 2022.
Since that is how things have always been, I haven’t let her know she would be the captain, said Wiegman.
“We haven’t really talked about where she is at in her therapy right now. She has done it previously, so she will be OK.
Another concern was whether Rachel Daly, the WSL’s Player of the Season and leading scorer for Aston Villa, would play up front in the competition after starting every match at left-back at Euro 2022.
She can, just like some other players, yes. She has done incredibly well this season, according to Wiegman.
She has participated for us at the back and as a number nine. The squad benefits from her adaptability.
In addition, Wiegman’s choice of 23 players contrasts with her initial longlist of 28 players for the home Euros last summer.
Wiegman explained that it has to do with the timeline and traveling to a different continent.
“While we were in England, we had access to constant training and could provide clarification. Now that we’re on vacation, we’ll fly right over to Australia. Therefore, we sought clarification on it.
