Sarina Wiegman believes Beth Mead is ready to fire for the Lionesses and will bring energy to the squad both on and off the pitch.
Mead was named in the England squad on Tuesday for the first time in over a year after missing the World Cup in the summer with a serious knee injury.
The Arsenal forward suffered the injury in November last year, but is back for crucial upcoming Nations League games against the Netherlands and Scotland.
Mead has been building up her minutes for Arsenal and made her first Women’s Super League (WSL) start of the season last weekend, playing 64 minutes as the Gunners beat Brighton 3-0.
And Wiegman said: “Her health is really good, so she can just go.
“She has played minutes, she is in a good place and still building too. But that was a very nice phone call to make, she was very happy.
“We have had conversations all the time [about her fitness]. We had conversations before and during the September camp and October too, because she was already fully training and getting some minutes.
“But I just wanted to see a little more, and that is what we have seen now.
"She showed, of course, in games that she is in a good place and we want to keep her growing and improving - but she has shown enough for me and my technical staff to bring her in.
"She is a character that brings positivity, on and off the pitch"
“She is a character that brings positivity, on and off the pitch. I think we have more players like that, but it is good to have her back.
“Her experience, the way she plays, she is different than other players on the wing. She brings different things, so that is good for the team too so we have different opportunities again.
“I expect on and off the pitch it gives us some extra energy.”
England are third in their Nations League group, one point behind Belgium in second and three off leaders the Dutch.
They host the Netherlands at Wembley a week on Friday before travelling to Scotland four days later, with only the group winners going forward to the semi-finals in February.
England must make the final, or finish third and hope France do, to secure Team GB a spot at next summer’s Paris Olympics.
Wiegman has named the strongest squad possible for these final two games, admitting that Chelsea youngster Aggie Beever-Jones was close to a first call-up.
The 20-year-old forward has been in fine form this season, scoring four goals in five WSL games.
“She’s in our conversations,” said Wiegman. "I think it’s a little bit too early, also with the competition we were just talking about.
“We see good things. She’s in the under-23s and it’s good she can get the minutes there and keep developing.
“I hope she keeps improving and gives us headaches again with our selection.”
In naming a 23-player squad, Wiegman has picked only three goalkeepers - with Ellie Roebuck the player to drop out.
Roebuck was part of England’s squad at the World Cup this summer, but has lost her place at Manchester City to Khiara Keating.
Keating, who earned her first call-up for last month’s double-header with Belgium, has kept her place in the squad and so has midfielder Grace Clinton, who is on loan at Tottenham from Manchester United.
“I had to give her the hard message that we didn’t pick her for now,” said Wiegman. “Of course she is in a hard position.
“She just has to work hard and see if she can find opportunities to play. Right now, in the very short-term, that’s probably not going to happen.”
