da brwin： The Man Utd youngster is thriving on loan at Spurs and not only was she rewarded with her senior international debut, she also marked it with a goal
da apostebet： For a team that saw 2023 end in such heartbreaking fashion, England have certainly started 2024 with a bang. The Lionesses flew to Spain for a warm-weather camp in February, playing friendlies after not making the UEFA Women's Nations League finals, with Sarina Wiegman hoping to try out fresh ideas, see new players and learn plenty about her squad. As the players start to return to their clubs, it certainly feels like the Dutchwoman can tick all three of those boxes.
There were bonuses, too, in the performances that England put on and the results they picked up, as they comfortably beat two strong teams in Austria, who were thrashed 7-2 on Friday, and Italy, defeated 5-1 four days later. "There are very many positives about this week," Wiegman told after the latter result.
So, who were the winners as the Lionesses kicked off 2024 in style? And who didn't fare so well? GOAL takes a look…
WINNER: Grace Clinton
The biggest compliment that can be paid to Grace Clinton after her performances for England this week is that it hardly looked like this was the camp in which she made her international debut. Awarded that first cap on Friday against Austria, she marked the occasion with a superb goal, was unlucky not to get a second, and backed it up with another terrific display in the win over Italy.
On loan at Tottenham from Manchester United this season, the 20-year-old has been in sublime form and she showed it in these friendlies, her clever footwork and ability to carve defences open making her one of the most eye-catching players across England's two games. But Clinton worked hard off the ball, too, ranking second for tackles won and third for possession among the Lionesses' squad. That she shone in two different midfield roles, box-to-box against Austria and then as a No.10 in the win over Italy, was also impressive.
"She just went out to play, played with a lot of freedom and showed her quality," Wiegman said of the youngster in a perfectly-put piece of praise. Given how well she slipped into England's starting XI, it'd be a surprise not to see more of her in the April window as qualifying for the 2025 European Championships begins.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Leah Williamson
As Wiegman says, there were tons of positives for England in this camp but there were also a couple of negatives. The first came before the Lionesses had even got together as Leah Williamson's long-awaited comeback was delayed further, a minor hamstring injury causing the Arsenal star to pull out of the squad.
Williamson has worked so hard to get back on the pitch after a devastating ACL injury that ruled her out of the Women's World Cup and this camp felt like the perfect opportunity for her England return, the friendly games removing some of the pressure. However, she'll be targeting a chance to pull on her country's colours again in April instead.
WINNER: Lotte Wubben-Moy
Every cloud has a silver lining and Williamson's absence opened the door for Lotte Wubben-Moy, her Arsenal team-mate who she will have no doubt been pleased to see get a rare opportunity to show what she can do for England. There have been plenty of calls for Wubben-Moy to receive more game time, especially given her sublime recent form at club level, and she saw significant minutes in both games this week.
Though starting from the bench against Austria, the 25-year-old came on at half time and got an assist thanks to a strong header. She then went one better in the game with Italy, scoring her first England goal with just 60 seconds on the clock, this on her first start since June 2022 and just her third overall. Her defensive work and general play in both matches was superb, too.
Asked if Wubben-Moy had taken a step forward in her thinking after the two performances, Wiegman told : "She's definitely taken a step forward because she's developing a lot and very well. That's what we see weekly at Arsenal and that's what she shows here, too." The coach did add that the competition at centre-back is "really high" but Wubben-Moy has certainly done nothing this week to harm her chances of getting more of a look-in when the opportunity presents itself.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Fran Kirby
After losing Williamson before the camp had even begun, England suffered another blow in the warm-up for the clash with Austria when Fran Kirby felt some irritation in her knee. The Chelsea star was replaced in the starting line-up by Ella Toone and, in the following days, withdrew from the camp altogether. "We didn't want to take any risks so she's being assessed at the club," Wiegman explained. "We don't expect it to be a bad injury."
Though it doesn't sound overly-concerning for Kirby, it is another frustration for the 30-year-old in what has felt like a real stop-start period of her career. After coming back admirably from some health scares in recent years, it is these knee injuries that are now plaguing Kirby as she looks to rediscover the form that made her one of the most talismanic footballers on the planet.
Chelsea have long been excellent at looking after the playmaker and will no doubt take the necessary steps to deal with this issue. Meanwhile the Blues, England and essentially every football fan will hope that she is able to ride this storm and get back to that level that made her so wonderful to watch.