The three biggest gambles in Lionesses Euros squad – and if they’ll pay off ...Middle East

What crisis? Sarina Wiegman came out fighting as she named her Euro 2025 squad to end a fortnight of bombshell announcements that have rocked England’s preparations.

With Mary Earps and Fran Kirby retiring and Millie Bright withdrawing through burnout, Wiegman announced the 23-player group she has tasked with defending the European Championship won at Wembley in 2022.

There are a string of players being nursed back to full fitness, with Lauren James included despite not featuring since April and Georgia Stanway having only played an hour of football for England this year.

The Lionesses only have one senior goalkeeper in Hannah Hampton, with neither Anna Moorhouse nor Khiara Keating earning a single cap for the national side.

Insisting “it doesn’t feel as a crisis at all”, Wiegman said: “Before a major tournament there is always noise. The difference is the attention and the visibility of the women’s game has grown. We just have to deal with it and play football.”

Question marks remain over the lack of a specialist left-back, and whether there are enough options at right-back, with the relatively inexperienced Maya Le Tissier covering for Lucy Bronze and Jess Carter used there recently.

Some of the Wiegman’s biggest calls were forced upon her, such as selecting Lotte Wubben-Moy, who has not been played for England since last April, to replace Bright.

However, the England boss also made a number of huge decisions that could well define this Euros campaign.

James is a game-changer and despite her persistent injury problems, she was always going to make the squad if humanly possible. Wiegman is hopeful she will be ready for the opener against France on 5 July – though she clarified she did not know for “how many minutes” – and could even give her a runout in the friendly against Jamaica on 29 June.

The main reason it is such a gamble picking James is that unlike in men’s international tournaments where managers can take 26 players, Women’s Euros squads only contain 23. Of those, Wiegman is opting for seven forwards.

Fortunately, she is spoilt for choice on the right, with Beth Mead in impressive form for England and Chloe Kelly enjoying a superb second half of the season on loan at Arsenal. So if James cannot play every game, there is enough cover – and the Chelsea forward can also play on the left and at No 10 too.

The wildcard

WHAT A WAY TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF!! Michelle Agyemang with a BEAUTY! England are right back in this one…#ITVFootball | #UWNL pic.twitter.com/RrzXuP9qZL

Michelle Agyemang only has one cap – but she certainly made her mark on debut. With the Lionesses floundering in the recent Nations League defeat to Belgium, the 19-year-old was thrown on and scored a stunning volley just 41 seconds after her introduction.

Aggie Beever-Jones has already established herself as Alessia Russo’s back-up, so opportunities may be limited for Agyemang. Yet Wiegman revealed she had picked her because she “brings something different”, namely her “physicality”.

It is telling that Wiegman has opted for Agyemang rather than Nikita Parris, with whom the teenager spent the season at Brighton. Parris scored seven WSL goals to Agyemang’s three and was involved in the Euro 2022 squad, but this feels like a new era. Agyemang got the nod because she allows a more direct threat in an attack already blessed with wide forwards.

Georgia Stanway has been passed fit for the Euros (Photo: AP)

Wiegman made an important clarification when asked why she has only opted for five midfielders.

“We have to announce it as midfielders and strikers and defenders, we can move around some players in different positions,” she said. On paper, it looks like not so in depth but in the team we are enough in depth in midfield.”

Against Spain, Stanway made her first start in seven months and if she is fit, she will be straight on the team sheet alongside Keira Walsh. Then it is a shootout for the third spot between Ella Toone, Jess Park and Grace Clinton – probably in that order.

That is the right call given there was no obvious standout candidate to slot in and it would have meant sacrificing a forward. England were left a little light by Kirby’s retirement but Wiegman was not going to include her regardless. The other options were Manchester City’s Laura Blindkilde Brown, Brighton’s Maisie Symonds, or Aston Villa’s Missy Bo Kearns.

Bo Kearns was given her debut in midweek against Spain and Wiegman admitted it was a difficult conversation letting her down. More experienced options such as Katie Zelem and Laura Coombs, who both went to the 2023 World Cup, were overlooked.

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