England manager Sarina Wiegman has named a 23-player squad for next month’s World Cup qualifying play-off against Greece, with Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly both missing out.
However, Chelsea midfielder Lexi Potter earns her first call-up to the senior squad, while there is also return for both Liverpool defender Grace Fisk and the uncapped Erica Meg Parkinson after her debut in April.
Elsewhere, captain Leah Williamson returns after missing June’s fixtures with injury, however, the likes of Aggie Beever-Jones, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Niamh Charles all miss out.
“We have great respect for Greece, but our expectations of ourselves are clear,” said Wiegman. “We are here to win these two games, deliver strong performances, and move one step closer to securing our place at the World Cup.
“It’s always exciting to reconnect as a group and we are looking forward to getting back together. The players will arrive motivated and ready for the next steps.
“We are looking forward to travelling to Crete and playing Greece for the first time ever. We will then return to Leicester, where we’ve enjoyed some good moments together in the past. We know our supporters will get behind the team again, and it will be great to play in front of them after a few months away.”
Should England, who were runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, progress to the second round of the World Cup play-offs, they will face either Slovakia or Ukraine over two legs during the final international window of the year in November and December.
The winners at that stage will secure qualification for next summer’s tournament in Brazil.
More to follow shortly…
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