England head coach Sarina Wiegman said she is “really disappointed and sad” that Mary Earps is no longer part of the Lionesses, while captain Leah Williamson said she is “devastated”.
Earps announced her shock retirement from international football on Tuesday morning, five weeks before England defend their European Championship title in Switzerland. The Athletic reported that Wiegman told Earps she would not be England’s No 1.
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“I’m really disappointed and sad that she’s not part of the team because I want her in my team,” Wiegman said in a news conference on Thursday ahead of England’s Nations League fixtures against Portugal and Spain.
“That must have been a really hard decision for her and so it is for us. She has done such a great job for England. She has made a massive difference and we’ve had an incredible journey so far. I really cherish that.”
Asked whether disappointment tips into annoyance, Wiegman said: “I want to keep it to disappointment. It’s emotional because we also have a relationship and we’ve had such a massive journey together with lots of highs and of course some lows too. That’s what makes it really hard.
“But we have to move on and we don’t have time now to celebrate that because we have to be pro, we have a game tomorrow, we’re going into the Euros and after that we can think about those things.”
When asked if it was firm in her mind that Hannah Hampton would be No 1 before this international camp, Wiegman said: “We’re not in that situation. That is speculation, so I don’t want to talk about that. Hannah was a little bit ahead and that’s where we finished.”
Earps told Wiegman she wanted to retire in April but the England coach asked the 32-year-old goalkeeper to reconsider.
Wiegman did not confirm or deny that point, saying that “we’ve had conversations” but they would stay “private”. Asked if she tried to convince her to stay, Wiegman said: “She knows I want her in the team, so of course, we talked about that.”
Williamson and Earps with the Finalissima trophy in 2023 (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Long-standing team-mate Williamson added: “I would always try and change her mind because I want her as my team-mate. The demands on and off the pitch, there’s so much that comes into play nowadays, it would have been a really, really hard decision for Mary, I have to respect that, but she knows I didn’t want her to leave.
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“I care about Mary as a human first before a footballer. But of course, we’re a team and we want to win, and Mary in that team gives us a better chance of winning. I know that to be true.”
The timing of such a decision is disruptive to a team’s preparation but Wiegman said she feels a sense of togetherness among her team. Another key leader absent from the England camp is centre-back Millie Bright.
Speaking on her Daly Brightness podcast, she said her withdrawal from the England squad is because she is “mentally and physically” at her limits and needs a break.
The Football Association (FA) announced on Monday that Bright had dropped out of the squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures to undertake “an extended period of recovery”.
“She has to take care of herself, we are in conversation and I don’t know where that gets to,” Wiegman said on Bright. “We’ll stay in contact and I hope she feels better soon, but I don’t know that yet at the moment.
“I hope that she can have the time and takes the time that will help her to get settled again in time for the Euros.
Meanwhile, Ella Toone and Alessia Russo are also out for England’s Nations League game against Portugal with calf injuries. “They’re not ready for tomorrow,” said Wiegman. “We’re trying to get them ready for Tuesday.”
Lauren James was also not called up for this squad because of a hamstring injury sustained in April. “She’s in a good place in rehab, doing really well,” Wiegman added. “We want to get her back for the Euros and she wants that too.”
(Top photo: David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
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