Meet the new stars hoping to breathe fresh life into England’s Euros defence

There’s no such thing as the perfect preparation for a major tournament – injuries occur, players lose form, things go wrong.

But even by those standards, England’s build-up to this summer’s Women’s European Championship has been less than ideal.

Sarina Wiegman’s side head to Switzerland as the defending champions after their historic triumph at Wembley four years ago, and are still one of the pre-tournament favourites. But the notable absences of Mary Earps, Millie Bright and Fran Kirby from the Lionesses’ final 23-player squad have surely thrown a spanner in the works.

Kirby’s absence is perhaps the least surprising. The former Chelsea midfielder chose to call time on her England career, having been told by Wiegman that she was unlikely to be part of the travelling party this summer.

But the lack of Earps and Bright caught most off guard. Bright was captain when England won in 2022 and was expected to resume her partnership with Leah Williamson in central defence before opting to skip the tournament to prioritise her mental and physical wellbeing.

Earps, meanwhile, may have lost her number one spot in goal, but was expected to be a vocal and vital part of the wider dressing room before deciding to retire on the tournament’s eve. Combined, the trio have 218 England caps – that kind of experience is impossible to replace. 

One of Wiegman’s most important strengths, though, has been her ability to evolve this England squad and move with the times. Ruthlessly at times, the Dutch coach has always had an eye on the future.

England still have plenty of leaders within their squad, but perhaps more excitingly is the latest crop of young talent who will hope to breathe fresh life into their tournament hopes.

‘It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it now’

Keira Walsh and a fit-again Georgia Stanway are expected to make up the core of England’s midfield, but hoping to provide some attacking thrust alongside them in Kirby’s absence could well be Grace Clinton.

Clinton excelled in the heart of Manchester United’s midfield last season, scoring eight times in 21 WSL games to help Marc Skinner’s side finish third and qualify for the Women’s Champions League.

‘It was a big season for me,’ said Clinton, speaking to Metro earlier in the year. ‘Obviously, coming back from Tottenham (where she spent her previous season on loan), there was an expectation to be able to deliver the same performances.

‘I enjoyed that challenge, but I still learned so much every game around an amazing group. Every game feels like a cup final when you’re at the top of the table and competing for those places.’

Clinton made her England debut in February 2024, so this summer’s Euros will be her first major tournament as a senior international.

And who better to be guided by than the aforementioned Walsh and Stanway, who partnered in midfield in the last Euros final as a 19-year-old Clinton watched from the stands.

‘Walsh and Stanway are both amazing footballers, and even going on camps and being around them I’ve been able to watch and learn from them, which is invaluable,’ she added.

‘I was there in the stands at Wembley to watch the last final. It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it now. I remember just not being able to believe we’d won when the final whistle went.

‘When you think about England, between the men’s and the women’s team, how long it’s taken to get over the line, it was just an amazing feeling, and it makes you want to be part of it again.’

‘I’ve learnt a lot about myself on and off the pitch’

Lauren James spent the last months of the season sidelined with a hamstring injury, but many Chelsea fans may not have noted her absence, such was the goalscoring exploits of Aggie Beever-Jones.

The Blues academy graduate built on her superb breakthrough season in west London in impressive fashion, notching up nine league goals for Bompastor’s treble-winning side.

And a 33-minute hat-trick for England in a 6-0 Women’s Nations League victory over Portugal in May may now have Beever-Jones pushing to usurp Chloe Kelly and Beth Mead for the right wing starting role.

At just 21, Beever-Jones is one of the youngest players in this summer’s squad, but early career loans away from west London have helped to supercharge her remarkable rise to this point.

‘I think the person I am now, compared to the person who left on their first loan spell at 18, is two different people in a really good way,’ she said, speaking to Metro in May.

‘I’ve learnt a lot about myself on and off the pitch; moving away from home, you have to grow up a bit quicker and get used to a new environment where you’re playing professionally week in, week out.’

Hampton not overawed by task of replacing Earps

Previously dropped by Wiegman in 2022 for attitute problems, Hannah Hampton is now set to play a pivotal role for England this summer.

The Chelsea shotstopper collected the Golden Glove after Sonia Bompastor’s side completed the domestic treble, and the 24-year-old is now England’s undisputed number one after Earps’ retirement.

Filling the gloves of one of the Lionesses’ most successful figures is no tall order, but Hampton is not one to shirk a challenge or get overawed by obstacles in her way.

‘It has been a bit of a whirlwind. Did I think, when I was a young girl, I’d be sitting here right now in the position I am? Absolutely not,’ Hampton, who had to undergo multiple operations as a child to fix a serious eye condition, said before the tournament.

‘But I am proud and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I think it’s going to be a summer of very exciting football.

‘I was told from a young age that I couldn’t play football – the doctors told my parents that. I’m here right now.

‘You can’t let the media scrutiny win. If you do that, it just adds fuel to the fire. I wasn’t willing to accept that. I wanted to show who I am as a person and show that wasn’t always true.’

As the action gets underway in Switzerland, England will hope that their experience and know-how will help them navigate the tournament’s early stages.

But if the Lionesses are to retain their European crown, they may well have to call upon their latest batch of exciting talents, who are more than ready to shine on the biggest stage.

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