Since Sarina Wiegman named her October squad for England’s homecoming fixtures against Brazil at the Etihad and Australia in Derby, the headlines have been dominated not by who was called up but by who is missing. England suddenly lacks some defining figures in defence, attack, and leadership.
Updated injury list since squad announcement
Since the original publication, Katie Reid, who came into the side to fill the gap of Williamson, has withdrawn due to a groin injury. Grace Fisk, the Liverpool captain, who was capped across the England pathway but has yet to make her senior debut, replaces Katie Reid. Fisk's first senior call-up was in 2020 at the SheBelieves competition, but she did not play in the tournament and has not been called up since then.
Midway through the October 2025 international window, the England women's national football team suffered two significant injury setbacks. Midfielder Grace Clinton withdrew from the squad with a minor injury, just as she was preparing to join up with the camp she has been working to re-integrate following her key contribution to England’s Euro 2025 success. She remains with her club to continue rehabilitation and recover in time for the next phase of training. At the same time, forward Jess Park pulled out after reporting to camp and entering the graded return-to-play process, but continued to experience persistent symptoms from a delayed concussion sustained during her club’s 4-1 win over Everton on October 12. Park will remain with her club to continue her rest and treatment until she has fully recovered. The absence of both Clinton and Park leaves the squad a little thinner across midfield and attack, and underscores the challenge England face in managing depth ahead of key fixtures.
All will remain with their clubs for rehabilitation
Leah Williamson’s absence is the most seismic. She is not only England’s captain, but the axis around which their entire structure has turned. Williamson, the only Lioness to lift a major trophy on foreign soil, has been the central architect of England’s build-up play. After suffering a setback to the same knee that endured her ACL tear, she underwent minor surgery in late August to reduce swelling. Though successful, the procedure has delayed her return to football until just before the winter break. Until then, England must cope without their most unmistakable on-field voice, their organiser, their reader of tempo, their defensive anchor.
Williamson’s absence is compounded by the departure of Millie Bright from international football, forcing England into a complete leadership reset. Keira Walsh, who took over as vice-captain during the Euros, is the most logical candidate to inherit the armband during this camp. Calm, respected and at the heart of England’s rhythm, she represents continuity. Yet Alex Greenwood stands as a formidable alternative. Captain of Manchester City, and previously of Manchester United, she has led England at the youth level and first wore the senior armband during the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup. Her leadership is measured and rooted in control rather than command.
Then there is Lucy Bronze, long viewed as one of the squad’s de facto generals. She captained England at the 2018 SheBelieves Cup and served as vice-captain at the 2019 World Cup. And during the Euro 2025 quarter-final against Sweden, Bronze took responsibility when Williamson and Walsh left the pitch, scoring the decisive penalty in the shootout with Williamson’s armband wrapped around her wrist too tightly to pull up her arm. Yet Bronze has made her stance clear: she no longer seeks the formality of captaincy. “I’ve always tried to be a leader on the pitch. That’s where I’m comfortable,” she has said, acknowledging that she does not desire “the hassle that comes with the job.” She recently returned from a fractured tibia and is unlikely to play significant minutes, but her influence will endure regardless of title.
With leadership unsettled, England must also answer a strictly tactical question: who fills Williamson’s position at centre-back? Jess Carter is expected to anchor the line, but her partner remains uncertain. Esme Morgan appears to be the preferred option under Wiegman, having played significant minutes in the knockout stages of the Euros.
Although consistently selected, Lotte Wubben-Moy has not featured in tournament matches under this manager; her trust remains theoretical.
And then there is Katie Reid, the youngest and most untested, but perhaps the most intriguing. She is unlikely to start, but Wiegman has clarified her purpose: to expose her to the senior environment. “It’s exciting for Katie Reid,” she said. “She started for Arsenal very quickly this season… I see very good things from her. I want to see her in our environment and how she relates to the squad.”
If defence is defined by absence, attack is equally reshaped. England is without both traditional wing choices: Lauren Hemp and Lauren James, whose profiles cannot be replicated.
Hemp offers width, speed, and disruption. Clocked at speeds over 30 km/h, she stretches back lines and drives relentlessly into one-on-one duels. Her versatility allows her to operate centrally when required, but from the left, she provides England with a vertical threat, the ability to pin full-backs and create panic.
James, meanwhile, is a different force, not a runner, but a manipulator. Recovering from a long-standing hamstring issue, she remains unavailable. She is perhaps England’s purest technician at full fitness, combining physical strength with close control and imagination. A right-sided forward who cuts inside on her left, she transforms passages of possession into moments of improvisation. She does not simply attack space; she creates it.
In their absence, opportunity emerges. Though short of club minutes, Beth Mead can operate across the front line and may be redeployed on the left, a position she adapted to at Arsenal, to accommodate others. She cannot match Hemp’s pace but compensates with delivery, movement and final-third intelligence.
On the right, this may be the moment for Chloe Kelly to reclaim a starting role rather than an impact one. Her profile is direct, focused on crossing, and in rhythm with Alessia Russo, fitting Wiegman’s structure. She has been key at the club level, and this camp offers her a stage to convert impact minutes into ownership.
Beyond them, England’s depth shifts from specialists to adapters: Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Park and Grace Clinton, players capable of occupying wide spaces without being defined by them. Not all are wingers by trade, but all possess qualities that may now be required: urgency, invention, goals.
The absence of Williamson, Hemp, and James does not simply remove individuals; it also removes their contributions. It forces England to confront identity, leadership, and imagination simultaneously. This camp is no longer about continuity; it is about recalibration.
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