Sarina Wiegman has stressed “the door is always open” for Hannah Hampton after leaving out the goalkeeper as she named her squad for England’s friendlies against Japan and Norway later this month.
Hampton has reportedly been axed due to her “behaviour and attitude” just days after she was dropped by her club Aston Villa in their Women’s Super League defeat to Chelsea on Sunday. Villa boss Carla Ward said she had not played the stopper “in the best interests of the team”, but the 21-year-old defied her manager’s orders to “stay at home” and was seen watching the game from the stands.
A report in The Guardian later claimed that disciplinary problems have followed Hampton throughout her time in the England set-up, including at age-level camps (U17, U19 and U21). Hampton has not been included in Wiegman’s camps since the European Championship, when she was one of the back-ups to first-choice Mary Earps but did not play. Manchester City goalkeeper Sandy MacIver has now been included instead.
“It’s actually the same reason as I said in September, nothing changed,” Wiegman said. “She still has to do something personal that I really would not like to comment on.”
Asked if Hampton would still be considered for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year, Wiegman responded: “When players perform and they perform consistently in [their] club, they have a chance to make the squad. I haven’t spoken to her myself. We have made a plan and she’s at [her] club, she’s taking care of that and we are supporting [her]. That’s where we are at.”
England face Japan on Friday 11 November and Norway on Tuesday 15 November, with both games taking place in Murcia, Spain.
Uncapped duo Maya Le Tissier and Katie Robinson have been called up for the first time, while Alessia Russo is back after missing England’s October fixtures through injury. The Manchester United forward will be joined by domestic captain Katie Zelem, one of the midfielders Wiegman was forced to cut from her provisional Euros squad.
There is no Leah Williamson as the skipper is still ruled out with a setback sustained in training. Niamh Charles and Jordan Nobbs are back in contention after recovering from injury.
Lauren James keeps her place following her impressive debut against with the Czech Republic, with Esme Morgan also in line to feature after winning her first cap in that goalless draw.
Houston Dash’s Ebony Salmon has been used sparingly since breaking back into the international side but she may be given the chance to impress in attack.
Lionesses squad in full
- Goalkeepers: Mary Earps, Sandy MacIver, Ellie Roebuck
- Defenders: Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Niamh Charles, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy
- Midfielders: Fran Kirby, Jordan Nobbs, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Keira Walsh, Katie Zelem
- Forwards: Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead, Nikita Parris, Alessia Russo, Katie Robinson, Ebony Salmon
England’s depth means Wiegman was free to make a statement
The Lionesses may be European champions, but Sarina Wiegman will still give them a stern look if they don’t take off their coats in team meetings. During the summer, she joked that her past life as a PE teacher in the Netherlands was still useful when it came to disciplining her players.
For the most part, there is a togetherness about this England squad that has largely negated the need to make tough decisions. The most difficult yet was leaving Steph Houghton out of the European Championship, a call the former captain struggled with.
Now that Hannah Hampton has been dropped over her attitude and behaviour, it is probably for the best that the reasons for her ongoing exclusion have emerged.
It has allowed Wiegman to issue a very public reminder of the standards that led to England’s success in July, when she had previously been tentative about Hampton’s exile. When leaving her out of the World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Luxembourg, the Lionesses head coach was vague but alluded to “personal issues that she has to solve, so at this moment it’s better for her to stay at her club”.
The real casualty in all this is Sandy MacIver, whose performances for Everton last season arguably warranted a place in the Euro 2022 squad. MacIver did not make the cut, with Ellie Roebuck and Hampton filling the spots behind Earps. MacIver has since joined Manchester City, where she is now second choice behind Roebuck, and though she is named in the latest England squad it will be hard for her to usurp Earps as No 1 while playing second fiddle for club and country.
From Wiegman’s perspective, at least she has so many options that she immediately had an obvious alternative after dropping Hampton.
For the Villa ‘keeper, however, it will be a long road back. Given that there have been concerns over her attitude since her days in the England youth set-up, it is testament to her ability that she was still able to earn two senior caps. It may be a while before she wins any more.
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