England boss Sarina Wiegman believes that the chances of making the World Cup squad are slim for Steph Houghton. She has 121 caps for England and was named to Wiegman’s first squad in 2021. Despite restoring her form and fitness at the club level in recent months, the Manchester City defender was forced to withdraw due to injury and has yet to appear under the management. Houghton stated last week that dealing with her absence from the England team has been “mentally difficult,” but that she is “pushing” for an international recall.
“She’s in a difficult situation. The chances aren’t great. I’ll never shut the door. When you’re the coach of England, you want everyone to be accessible. Things happen, and the situation for some players changes. But for the time being, I’m making other decisions,” England boss Sarina Wiegman said about Steph Houghton. “Steph is a very skilled and experienced player. I admire what she’s done for the women’s game. But I don’t want to lose the guys I have in that position because I believe they have done exceptionally well. It’s challenging since she’s accomplished so much. I simply try to communicate and provide context for my choices. That’s difficult because you know how hard every player works to make the squad.”
Wiegman’s tenure as England coach has been a remarkable success, with the team winning the home Euros last summer and the Finalissima against Brazil last Thursday at Wembley. The Lionesses will look to build on that momentum by winning their first World Cup this summer, and they will face hosts Australia in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday. Given the proximity of the World Cup, Wiegman assures her team will take the friendly seriously.
“To begin with, we don’t intend to make many modifications. We’re getting closer, and we don’t have many games left till our first match. It’s a big game, and we want to see our squad do well,” she added. “Australia is a large country that ranks tenth in the globe. We want to be tested again, but to perform a little better in some areas than we did on Thursday.”
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