England Euro 2022 squad: Steph Houghton misses out as Lionesses name group for home tournament
Steph Houghton has missed out on England’s final 23-player squad for Euro 2022.
Houghton has captained England at the last three major international tournaments and although she made the provisional squad, the defender has not featured competitively since January due to injury and will miss out on the home championships in a playing role.
Leah Williamson will take the captain’s armband, as she has for much of the season under manager Sarina Wiegman.
Also cut from England’s provisional 28-player training squad were goalkeeper Sandy MacIver, defender Niamh Charles and midfielders Lucy Staniforth and Katie Zelem.
Winger Chloe Kelly, who is yet to start a match under Wiegman after being ruled out of the majority of last season due to injury, is included after returning to action at the end of the campaign, as is star forward Fran Kirby.
Kirby has not featured regularly since February and her participation in the Euros was thrown into doubt in April following the revelation that she was taking time away from the game due to fatigue. However, the forward remains a valuable player for her country and the 28-year-old will look to pick up minutes in England’s two warm-up matches, starting with a match against Belgium on Friday and the Netherlands next week.
Despite her experience, the inclusion of Houghton in England’s final squad would have been a surprise. The 34-year-old centre-back has yet to feature for the Lionesses this season and in her absence, Williamson has impressed as captain side while Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood have struck up a partnership in defence and appear to be Wiegman’s first-choice pair ahead of the home tournament.
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England squad for Euro 2022
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City)
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Jill Scott (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal)
Forwards: Beth England (Chelsea), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Ellen White (Manchester City)
