England squad LIVE: Sarina Wiegman reveals Leah Williamson decision ahead of Lionesses friendlies

Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has returned to the England squad ahead of a pair of international friendlies against Austria and Italy later this month.

The centre-back has not played for England since last April and was forced to miss the World Cup after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament towards the end of last season.

Williamson returned to action for Arsenal two weeks ago and her availability has arrived at a good time for the Lionesses. Williamson replaces the injured Millie Bright as Wiegman named a 23-player squad ahead of the upcoming training camp in the south of Spain.

After missing out on the Nations League finals in dramatic fashion in December, Wiegman’s side will begin their preparations for the start of Euro 2025 qualifying in April.

There was only one more change from the previous squad, with Manchester City midfielder Jess Park replacing Manchester United’s Katie Zelem.

Follow live updates from the Lionesses squad announcement, below

Latest updates from Lionesses squad announcement

• England manager Sarina Wiegman reveals squad for February friendlies

• Captain Leah Williamson returns to England squad for first time since April last year

• Co-captain and Chelsea defender Millie Bright remains out due to knee injury

• England to play Austria and Italy in Spain ahead of start of Euro 2025 qualifying

Leah Williamson returns to England squad as Sarina Wiegman reveals plan for Lionesses friendlies

12:31 , Jamie Braidwood

Leah Williamson is back in the England squad for the first time since April last year as Sarina Wiegman said she plans to “experiment” with her team in upcoming friendlies against Austria and Italy later this month.

Arsenal defender Williamson led the Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory as captain but missed last summer’s World Cup after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament nine months ago.

Williamson replaces the injured Millie Bright in one of only two changes from December’s 23-player squad, with Manchester City midfielder Jess Park also coming in for Manchester United’s Katie Zelem.

The Lionesses missed out on the Nations League finals in December so will instead begin their preparations for the start of Euro 2025 qualifying with a trip to the south of Spain and a pair of friendlies against Austria and Italy.

Williamson is expected to return as captain but Wiegman said she will only make a decision after discussing it with her squad - goalkeeper Mary Earps captained the side when both Williamson and Bright were unavailable at the end of last year.

Leah Williamson returns to England squad as Sarina Wiegman plans ‘experiment’

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:57 , Jamie Braidwood

When are England’s fixtures this month?

Friday 23 February: England v Austria, 7.45pm, live on ITV1

Tuesday 27 February: England v Italy, 5pm, live on ITV 4

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:50 , Jamie Braidwood

Sarina Wiegman on Leah Williamson’s return:

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:49 , Jamie Braidwood

Sarina Wiegman on whether Leah Williamson will return as captain:

“I have to talk to the players first about that. This is a also new moment, we’ll start again, talk about it and have the conversation first with the group.”

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:42 , Jamie Braidwood

Sarina Wiegman on whether Millie Bright will be back in April:

“Millie is in rehab. It goes by plan so she’s in a good place but needs more time. Hopefully she is back for April, but let’s see how it goes.”

On Nikita Parris, who scored 15 goals in 16 games for Manchester United, but misses out:

“I had a conversation with her in autumn. I had a conversation with her yesterday. We have many players up front that it’s so competitive and I had to make hard choices. She knows we have to make hard choices.”

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:36 , Jamie Braidwood

Sarina Wiegman on Leah Williamson’s return: “It’s really nice, especially for her. She’s back, she’s gaining minutes at Arsenal. They are happy with where she is and it will be nice to see her back next week in camp. She’s a very good player. Even though she’s been out for months, her decision making is really good. The team stepped up [without her] but it’s good to have her back.

“We’ll play two friendlies in warm weather, good conditions. What we can do is experiment. We can try new things and I’m excited to start building to Euro 2025.

“It was devastating in December. We played two incredible games and we played really well, but you can’t control what the opposition do. It was really exciting, but we were disappointed. Now, we have the opportunity to play friendlies. We have to stay on the front foot and keep developing.”

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:29 , Jamie Braidwood

We’ll hear from Wiegman shortly but this is a welcome sight for fans of the Lionesses!

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:18 , Jamie Braidwood

Sarina Wiegman: “This camp is where the road to Euro 2025 in Switzerland begins. Playing against strong teams like Austria and Italy is just the preparation we need before we kick off our qualifying campaign in April. I am really looking forward to getting back on the grass with the squad.

“It is the first time we will be back together as a group since last year. Travelling away for this camp will give us a great opportunity to connect again on and off the pitch and allow us to give minutes to many players. Being in Spain with hopefully good weather and excellent facilities is the perfect setting for the work we need to do as a team to get us ready for another very important year ahead.”

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:17 , Jamie Braidwood

So, just two changes from December’s squad

- Leah Williamson returns to an England squad for the first time in 10 months, replacing the injured Millie Bright

- Jess Park is also back, while Manchester United’s Katie Zelem misses out

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:16 , Jamie Braidwood

England squad for February friendlies against Austria and Italy

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City)

Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Grace Clinton (Tottenham Hotspur, loan from Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona)

Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:15 , Jamie Braidwood

The squad is out... and captain Leah Williamson is IN.

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:11 , Jamie Braidwood

Sarina Wiegman will discuss her selections in a press conference after she announces her Lionesses squad at 11:15!

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:09 , Jamie Braidwood

Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating has also been in impressive form, and produced a brilliant performance at the weekend in her team’s 1-0 win at Arsenal in the FA Cup.

The 20-year-old has been in England’s last two squads but remains uncapped. Could she make her debut this month?

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

11:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Could Wiegman bring in some new faces?

Apart from injuries, the Lionesses squad has been pretty established since the run-up to the World Cup, but one player who is threatening to break into Wiegman’s plans is Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones.

The 20-year-old has impressed for the Blues this season and was rewarded with a new contract two weeks ago. Beever-Jones was nominated for WSL player of the month in November and has scored five goals in nine WSL appearances this season.

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

10:57 , Jamie Braidwood

What about Millie Bright?

England were without both Williamson and Bright when they missed out on the Nations League finals in December, with the Chelsea defender sidelined since November with a knee injury.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said Bright was unlikely to be ready for England’s internationals this month and the centre-back is yet to return to action for the WSL champions.

The Blues are expecting Bright to be ready after this month’s international break.

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

10:53 , Jamie Braidwood

Will Wiegman pick Williamson?

Even though the Lionesses captain has returned to the pitch, her selection is not guaranteed.

Wiegman took her time to bring Beth Mead back into the fold when the Arsenal forward returned from her ACL injury and waited until she was 100 per cent fit.

Williamson only played her first 90 minutes this past weekend, in Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Man City in the FA Cup.

Before that, she played the first half of Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the WSL, and she came off the bench as a substitute against Reading in the Conti Cup.

But with Millie Bright still out, England could do with having Williamson’s leadership back in the defence.

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

10:48 , Jamie Braidwood

Leah Williamson’s last appearance for England came in April 2023 as the Lionesses suffered their first defeat under Sarina Wiegman in a friendly against Australia.

The Arsenal centre-back then suffered a ruptured ACL, missing the World Cup and leaving a hole in the Lionesses team.

England would reach the World Cup final without their captain, but Williamson’s return is a huge boost ahead of Euro 2025.

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

10:42 , Jamie Braidwood

When is Euro 2025 qualifying?

After missing out on the Nations League finals, as well as the Summer Olympics, England’s next competitive matches will be in the Euro 2025 qualifiers.

The defending European champions will start their qualifying campaign in April - the Lionesses will be in League A in the reformed qualifying format, which mirrors the Nations League system.

The pots for the qualifying draw have yet to be confirmed but England are set to be in Pot 2 for the League A draw.

The qualifying draw will take place on 5 March and England could book their place as early as July 2024.

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

10:38 , Jamie Braidwood

England will head to Spain later this month to play friendly matches against Austria and Italy.

The Lionesses would have planned to be in the Nations League finals, which are to be played in this international window, but Sarina Wiegman’s side missed out of the final four after finishing behind the Netherlands in the group phase.

The Lionesses will play Austria on Friday 23 February and then on Italy the following Tuesday.

England squad LIVE: Latest updates

10:31 , Jamie Braidwood

When is England’s squad announcement?

Sarina Wiegman will announce her England squad at 11:15am GMT on Tuesday 13 February at St George’s Park. The Lionesses manager will then give a press conference to explain her selections.

Good morning

10:30 , Jamie Braidwood

England manager Sarina Wiegman is set to name her first Lionesses squad of 2024 ahead of a pair of international friendlies against Austria and Italy later this month.

You can follow live updates from this morning’s announcement in today’s live blog