Sarina Wiegman confirmed that Lauren James will be unavailable to face France in Newcastle on Friday, revealing in her pre-match press conference that the Chelsea forward is still struggling with a pre-existing foot injury.
“Lauren already had a foot problem at club,” Wiegman explained. “She came in and we hoped that we could build her to tomorrow but it is just too early. Unfortunately, she can’t stay with us, she is going to get prepared for the July window.”
The Lionesses will play France twice over the course of the coming week, with Friday’s clash at St James’ Park swiftly followed by a trip to Saint-Étienne on Tuesday 4th June. EURO2025 qualifiers will conclude in July, when England host the Republic of Ireland ahead of an away match against Sweden.
Embed from Getty ImagesWiegman confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur’s Jess Naz “will be added to the group” for both of the fixtures against France – a side that the Dutchwoman has not yet faced during her tenure as England head coach.
The 54-year-old expressed that “it’s going to be a difficult game because they’re a very good opponent. It’s the first time that we’ve played them since I became head coach, so I’m actually really excited about it.”
Fans from the North East of England will once again be afforded a chance to watch the Lionesses closer to home, with this clash in Newcastle coming less than a year after England faced Scotland at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light – and the prospect of playing at St James’ is an exciting one, said Wiegman.
“I’ve never been in that stadium before but all I hear is that it’s an incredible stadium. It’s almost sold out, so that’ll be great too for the fans to show up and support us again,” she told reporters.
England’s third EURO2025 qualifier will see the Lionesses face France, with kickoff at St James’ Park scheduled for 20:00 BST on Friday, 31 May.