Sarina Wiegman encouraged by Beth Mead return as England prepare for must-win Nations League meeting with Netherlands
Sarina Wiegman's England face the Netherlands at Wembley on Friday, before travelling to Hampden Park to face Scotland on Tuesday; England need to finish top of Nations League Group A1 for Team GB to qualify for Paris 2024 Olympics
By Laura Hunter
Thursday 30 November 2023 17:19, UK
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Sarina Wiegman has confirmed goalkeeper Mary Earps will captain England to face the Netherlands in a must-win game at Wembley Stadium on Friday evening.
Regular captain Leah Williamson has been missing for some time with a long-term injury, while deputy Millie Bright has recently been ruled out with an «angry» knee, according to club manager Emma Hayes.
It leaves England short of experienced options defensively, but Wiegman says her side's shape and style won't change in Bright's absence, and that she's happy with the options she's trialled to replace the central defender.
The Lionesses are third in Group A1 after four games, having been beaten 2-1 in September by the Dutch and 3-2 last month by Belgium, who they trail by three and one point respectively.
«We thought Millie would make it,» Wiegman began. «But we always know the next step — we always think of scenarios and options. We've tried out a couple of things and we'll make a decision and move on.»
Speaking about Earps' promotion, she added: «Mary will captain the team. She's played an immense role, which starts with her performances, she's been outstanding in the team.
»That's why she keeps winning all these awards. She's spoken up too, with this thing with Nike and we've made something really positive out of it. It's nice to see there's good attention for goalkeepers."
Mead fit for England return
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