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Williamson, James, Hemp out for England with new faces included

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Leah Williamson, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp are out of England Women's October friendlies through injury, with Lucy Bronze named in the squad.

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England's Leah Williamson reacts at the end of the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between France and England © Associated Press

Leah Williamson, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp are out of England Women's October friendlies through injury, with Lucy Bronze named in the squad.

The full-back revealed after the Euro 2025 final that she had been playing with a fractured leg, and only recently returned for Chelsea Women after she fully recovered from the injury.

Her club team-mate, Niamh Charles, is also included after a recent knock, as is Man City Women's Grace Clinton. In total, 20 of the Euro 2025-winning squad are in the latest 25-player squad.

Arsenal Women defenders Katie Reid and Taylor Hinds have also earned their first senior call-ups, with Hinds having previously represented Jamaica, with Lucia Kendall also included for the first time.

Her Aston Villa Women team-mate, Missy Bo Kearns, is also back in the Lionesses squad, as is Man City's Laura Blindkilde Brown.

England play Brazil at the Etihad in Manchester on October 25 before facing Australia the following Tuesday at Pride Park in Derby in their first games since winning the Euro 2025 final in Switzerland.

The announcement comes the day after Millie Bright announced her retirement from international football, having removed herself from selection for the summer tournament.

Wiegman explains Hinds, Reid inclusions

Speaking at a press conference after announcing her latest squad, Sarina Wiegman gave an insight into her choices, especially the debut inclusions of Hinds and Reid.

On 19-year-old Reid, the Dutch boss said: "It's exciting for her. She's started playing for Arsenal very quickly this season after some moments last season.

"She's done good in the [England] pathway too and I see some very good things on the pitch with her. I hope she can show that in our environment too because I'm excited to see her and how she relates to other players in the squad.

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"We have been following Taylor for a long time. She's gone through the pathway, she has dual heritage so she's eligible for us.

"She hasn't played that much but also, we are in a new situation. We're going in to a new cycle to qualify for the World Cup so I want to see talented players in some positions. She's a left-footer and we've seen a lot of her [in the past].

"I had the conversation with her and she wanted to come in. She feels close to England as she did with Jamaica.

"She wants to see what her chances are and it's good for me to see her in our environment too to see how she relates to other players in her position."

She also revealed that Clinton will be assessed before the team meets up at St George's Park on Monday, although she and Bronze are unlikely to play both games in full.

She added: "Grace will be assessed this week. She had a minor injury and I just didn't want to rule her out. If she progresses well, she can be available for us, which is good.

"They will not be able to play two full games in a couple of days, but Lucy is fit to play. She didn't get that many minutes yet because she's just come out of her rehab, but she did train a lot."

England will play a further two friendlies against China and Ghana later this year, with the draw for 2027 World Cup qualification set to take place in early December. The games will be played throughout 2026.

Wiegman said: "We have about 10 camps before the World Cup, but let's not forget to qualify first so never take that for granted.

"These two windows [October and November], we have the opportunities to play friendlies, to try out things and see many players.

"We want to get as many opportunities to see as many players but also keep winning games. You know that the game is changing a lot too, so what are the trends and how do we want to develop and we're at that stage now where we'll talk to the players about how we want to move forward."

More questions than answers on Bright retirement

Analysis from Sky Sports News' Anton Toloui:

It's fair to say there are more questions than answers about Mille Bright's England retirement.

Sarina Wiegman admits she wanted the 32-year-old to be available up to the next World Cup in 2027 but could she really be guaranteed to be a starter?

Bright insisted last week she was available if wanted by England, a few days later she's announced her international days are over.

Wiegman wouldn't go into detail about the nature of the conversations or the timeframe of them, adding to the intrigue.

England proved they can win without the Chelsea captain and now they have Katie Reid added to a stacked centre-back corps.

But will England miss Bright's experience, determination and ability when they take on the world's best?

England squad in full

Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Man City), Anna Moorehouse (Orlando Pride).

Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham FC), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Man City), Maya Le Tissier (Man Utd), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal), Taylor Hinds (Arsenal), Katie Reid (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Grace Clinton (Man City), Jess Park (Man Utd), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Man Utd), Keira Walsh (Chelsea), Laura Blindkilde Brown (Man City), Missy Bo Kearns (Aston Villa), Lucia Kendall (Aston Villa).

Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal, on loan at Brighton), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Arsenal).

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