Manchester City forward Lauren Hemp has had surgery on a knee injury, that ruled her out of England’s approaching friendlies with the United States and Switzerland. Hemp missed City’s past two matches, that includes Saturday’s 2-0 defeat by title rivals Chelsea. However, the club has not mentioned the nature of the injury or how long she will be out.
England manager Sarina Wiegman assured it was not an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Inquired if it is a severe injury, Wiegman mentioned BBC Sport: “No, I think if that was the case Manchester City would have mentioned that. That’s not the situation. “She was in such a good place and was playing so well, so it’s of course disheartening.
“On the other hand, I would say it’s better that if something happens it’s now rather than in the spring, and she can be back to her level again. “I always think it’s disappointing but it gives other players opportunities to show themselves and play.”
Hemp, at the age of 24, has been one of the wonder players in the Women’s Super League this season, scoring twice and supporting five in seven matches., Another gem ruled out for England with a calf injury is Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone, 25. She missed United’s 2-0 victory over Leicester on Sunday – the first time in 96 league games she has not started.
“Ella picked up an injury in training the day before the Leicester game. She took a calf injury in a small, bottled session,” mentioned United manager Marc Skinner.
“She will definitely miss the [next] two games [with United], she will miss the international window and we will then see if she is back after that.”
There are multiple injury concerns for Wiegman.
Chelsea duo Lauren James and Niamh Charles missed October’s friendly beat by Germany and succeeded over South Africa with injuries but they have still not arrived back.
Aston Villa defender Lucy Parker is also away for “several weeks” due to an ankle injury she picked up earlier this month. This means that there are first senior international call-ups for Manchester City midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown and Leicester City’s Ruby Mace, who have progressed from the Under-23s.
Manchester United defender Gabby George is called into the squad for the first time since November 2022.
For now, Manchester City winger Chloe Kelly continues her place in the squad in spite of continuous struggle for game time.
Wiegman mentions “It’s a hard situation. Competition is high at Manchester City. We have to look at what’s available in our squad.”
The Lionesses face Emma Hayes’ USA at Wembley Stadium on 30 November (17:20 GMT), before welcoming Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland in Sheffield on 3 December (19:45 GMT).
The last time England faced the USA was in October 2022 when they won 2-1 thanks to goals from Hemp and Georgia Stanway.
The friendlies mark the countdown to the start of Euro 2025 when Wiegman’s side will protect their European crown in Switzerland from 2-27 July.
Wiegman says “I’m very excited, of course. [The USA are] number one in the world, gold medallists at the Olympics and I get to see Emma [Hayes] again”.
“We collaborated until last summer when she was coaching Chelsea. It will be good to see her, play against her and for the first time be competing against each other.”
‘We need to stay tight in our circle’
The last two friendlies against Germany and South Africa were underwhelming from an England perspective and there was reproval about their performance.
Wiegman said it is “part of the job” to welcome supposition levels have increased following their success at Euro 2022, and England have to find ways to deal with it.
“The main thing that we always need to remember is that we know what we’re working on. In the last camp – and in this camp too – we don’t need to be fully ready now,” said Wiegman.
As per the player, they don’t have to have transparency on everything because they are having friendlies, experimenting and they won’t get everything right. Players just want to see growth. This can truly influence their performance on the pitch. Every game they play they surely want to win.
“I understand the criticism, but we as players and staff need to know what we’re working on and trying out. As we know our destination, we need to stay tight in our circle to achieve it.
“If you are going to listen to everyone’s opinion outside… well, they don’t have the full context of everything. We know exactly what we’re working on.”
You Might Prefer Reading:
Who is in the England squad?
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Paris St-Germain), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride)
Defenders: Mille Bright (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Gabby George (Manchester United), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Fran Kirby (Brighton & Hove Albion), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Ruby Mace (Leicester City)
