Steph Houghton: England captain misses Arnold Clark Cup because of injury
Manchester City defender Steph Houghton is not in the England squad for upcoming fixtures against Canada, Spain and Germany.
Houghton has been injured this month and the Football Association said February’s Arnold Clark Cup tournament comes “just too soon” for her.
Goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck and defenders Lucy Bronze and Leah Williamson return after recovering from injury.
Chelsea forward Beth England misses out through injury.
Manager Sarina Wiegman has named a 24-player squad for the inaugural tournament, hosted by England and which begins on 17 February.
Wiegman said: “I’m looking forward to playing against three world-class teams. It will be the perfect way to begin a big year, and we will get a lot of important information from training and the matches ahead of the Euros.
“The rhythm of three games in 10 days will also help us, offering more opportunity for rotation, to understand more about our squad and the way we want to play. I know the players will be excited to test themselves against strong opponents.”
England have won all six matches since Wiegman took charge in the summer, with an aggregate score of 53-0 that includes a record 20-0 win against Latvia in her side’s last match in November.
However, these matches will be the first time England have faced a team in the top 10 of the Fifa world rankings under the Dutch coach – Germany are ranked third, Olympic champions Canada sixth and Spain ninth.
| Germany v Spain – 17 February (14:30) Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough | England v Canada – 17 February (19:30) Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough |
| England v Spain – 20 February (15:15) Carrow Road, Norwich | Canada v Germany – 20 February (20:15) Carrow Road, Norwich |
| Spain v Canada – 23 February (14:30) Molineux, Wolverhampton | England v Germany – 23 February (14:30) Molineux, Wolverhampton |
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City)
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Aston Villa, loan from Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Katie Zelem (Manchester United)
Forwards: Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Ellen White (Manchester City)
More to follow.
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