England captain Leah Williamson has left the national team camp and will miss the upcoming fixtures against the United States and the Czech Republic after sustaining an injury in training. The Arsenal defender was seen wearing a protective boot and using crutches at England's training base in Teddington, south-west London. She has returned to her club for rehabilitation, though the specific nature of her injury has not been disclosed.
Williamson joins Alessia Russo and Lucy Parker in departing the camp due to injury, leaving manager Sarina Wiegman with selection headaches ahead of the Wembley showdown against the world champions on Friday and the match against the Czech Republic next Tuesday. Forward Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning goal in the Euro 2022 final, acknowledged Williamson's absence but expressed confidence in the squad's depth.
“Leah’s a great leader and of course we’ll miss her,” Kelly said. “We have such great depth in our squad and such great strength in our squad. There are so many great leaders with experience. So, it’s all about coming together in these moments when you do lose a player like Leah and supporting Leah now in her rehab.”
The Lionesses are back at the Lensbury hotel and training base that served them during their historic European Championship triumph, and Kelly believes the familiar surroundings can inspire positive energy. “When we came back into the Lensbury it literally felt like we were back and that we’d only been away for a few days,” she said. “We had such a great summer and that gives you so much positive energy around the group.”
Looking ahead to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next summer, Kelly emphasised the need to build on their Euro success while staying grounded. “One medal round your neck is probably not enough,” she said. “I just want to win. To do it with such a great bunch of girls it makes you so much more hungry to get back on the pitch.”
