England boss Sarina Wiegman says Chloe Kelly’s place in the squad was not in doubt, despite the winger’s recent lack of minutes for Manchester City.
Kelly was an unused substitute for City’s last two matches, the 2-0 Champions League win over Barcelona last Wednesday and Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Liverpool in the Women’s Super League.
The 26-year-old famously scored England’s winner in their Euro 2022 final victory over Germany at Wembley and has made Wiegman’s 25-player squad for a friendly against the same opposition at the same venue a week on Friday.
Wiegman, whose side play a friendly against South Africa at the Coventry Building Society Arena four days later, told a press conference: “She’s in a hard position.
“I think City are in a very good position, which shows they have stepped up with the quality, we saw that last week.
“There’s huge competition going on there, it’s the very highest level, and she’s competing for that too, not getting the minutes she of course hopes for and we do. But she built credit with us and she wasn’t in doubt for us to bring her in.”
Wiegman was asked if she had had a conversation with Kelly about potentially leaving City and said: “No. Playing minutes is very important, because how are we going to pick you? And it’s competing at the club too.
“It’s really good that the level of clubs is so high that you have to be at the top, top level to be playing.
“Of course, also it’s about talent, quality, it’s about playing minutes, it’s about the competition, the opposition, and Chloe built some credit with us too. So it’s not just black and white.
“It’s of course so much better when you get the minutes, because that brings you to the level necessary. Of course it’s her career and all players know it’s absolutely helpful to get minutes.”
There is no place in the squad for goalkeeper Khiara Keating, who has lost her place in the City team to Ayaka Yamashita, or Manchester United defender Millie Turner.
Wiegman described Keating as “very talented” before adding: “We want her to get fitter and sharper and that’s better to do in her own environment.”
Orlando Pride’s Anna Moorhouse, uncapped like Keating, is the goalkeeper joining Mary Earps and Hannah Hampton in the squad.
Earps played in only one of England’s last five matches as they secured Euro 2025 qualification, missing one through injury.
Since she left United for Paris St Germain in the summer, her new team have suffered elimination in the Champions League qualifying rounds, while the 31-year-old returned to the side at the weekend after being an unused substitute and then not in the squad for the previous two games.
Wiegman believes Earps is PSG’s first-choice goalkeeper, saying: “There’s competition there too.”
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She added: “Unfortunately they didn’t qualify for the Champions League group stage which is a disappointment for them, for Mary and for us too because we want to see her in it. So that’s not the start I think she had hoped for.
“But we know what she brings for us – and we also know there is huge competition going on between her and Hannah and Anna also coming in.”
Aston Villa defender Lucy Parker, another uncapped player, has been recalled to the squad for the first time in a year and there are also returns for Lauren James and Lotte Wubben-Moy after they missed the summer’s qualifiers due to injury.
