Sarina Wiegman has explained that she wants to give Lauren James an opportunity to ‘show what she can do’ in an England shirt after naming the forward in a Lionesses squad for the first time in her tenure.
James is regarded as one of the most exciting young players in English football, but was limited to just six WSL appearances during her debut season with Chelsea last term after struggling with injuries and fitness.
The 20-year-old has been selected by Wiegman for England’s first squad since their Euro 2022 triumph ahead of a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Luxembourg in September, where she could earn her maiden senior England cap.
“We have been following her for a long time,” Wiegman said. “She didn’t play that much [last season] but she did play some. We know she’s a very talented player and she did work over the summer, she also had a very good prep with Chelsea, played minutes, so I think we want to give her a chance to show what she can do with the national team.”
Ebony Salmon is another new addition to Wiegman’s squad, with the 21-year-old striker looking to add to her one cap earned back in February 2021. The England manager was full of praise for the progression Salmon has made over the last 12 months.
“She moved to Houston Dash, she did so well there, she’s just a real goalscorer,” Wiegman added. “And that’s what she has shown over the summer, and we really want to show where she’s at now. Last year she came in too and just needed some more time. We’re a year further now and she’s done so well, and we just want to give her a chance to show again where she’s at with our team.”
England will be without Chloe Kelly and Fran Kirby for September’s qualifiers, with the former suffering a knock during Manchester City’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, and the latter ruled out with a foot injury.
Hannah Hampton has not been selected due to personal reasons, with Sandy MacIver called up in her place. The recently retired Jill Scott and Ellen White are the other remaining members of England’s Euro 2022 winning squad who will not feature against Austria and Luxembourg.
