United quartet selected for England duty
Four Manchester United Women players have been named in the England squad by head coach Phil Neville for the upcoming September training camp at St George’s Park.
Abbie McManus, who has 17 caps and was a member of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup side, is joined by Millie Turner, Ella Toone and Katie Zelem, each of whom are receiving their first senior Lionesses call-ups.
The squad heralds the start of a long-term build towards the Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand. The next three years will see England target glory at the home Women’s EURO Championships and Women’s World Cup, as well as next year’s home nations collaboration for Team GB Football’s Olympic campaign.
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Having injected a cohort of young hopefuls into his squad for the Lionesses’ last meeting at the SheBelieves Cup in the USA, Neville and his senior backroom team have significantly widened the group to expose a number of uncapped players to the elite senior environment.
Head coach Phil Neville said: “This is a critical moment in our development of England Women. Every camp from now on is aimed at building a team capable of competing for the highest honours in world football, including the prestigious home EURO in 2022 and, ultimately, the Women’s World Cup in 2023.
“It is important that we offer as many opportunities as possible for some of the country’s best young talent to stake their claim for a place in the senior England squad for this exciting three-year period.
“All the youngsters who have been given their opportunity today are extremely deserving of their senior call-ups, having performed strongly at club level and through England’s development teams. Now is their opportunity to prove themselves at senior international level and I am excited to see the blend of youthful ambition and senior experience.
“Introducing greater competition for places and providing opportunities for young players to develop is absolutely key to taking England Women to the next level as we begin the long build towards the home EURO and Women’s World Cup.”
The Lionesses will meet up for the first time since March’s SheBelieves Cup next Tuesday (15 September) for an intensive training camp at their Burton base.
The seven-day camp will also include an 11v11 training game behind closed doors on Friday 18 September.
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