England will delay finalising their squad for this summer’s home European Championships until next week after head coach Sarina Wiegman suffered a close family bereavement.
Wiegman last month named an enlarged 28-player provisional squad for the tournament, which starts on July 6, and the group met up for the first time to begin preparations last week.
The party had been expected to be whittled down to 23 this week ahead of pre-tournament friendlies against Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
However, Wiegman, who has enjoyed an unbeaten start to her reign since taking over from interim boss Hege Riise last autumn, will now not join her squad for the next phase of their tournament build-up at St. George’s Park, prompting the delay.
Our thoughts are with you and your family, Sarina ❤️
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 6, 2022
The Dutch coach’s assistant Arjan Veurink will instead lead training, with Wiegman due to return next Monday.
England host Belgium at Molineux next Thursday night, meaning the Lionesses squad for the Euros may still be confirmed before they are next in action.
England are among the favourites for the tournament and will kick-off the competition against Austria at a sold-out Old Trafford before also facing Norway and Northern Ireland in the group stage.
The make-up of Wiegman’s final squad is likely to depend largely on the readiness of senior players Steph Houghton, Jill Scott and Fran Kirby, all of whom saw their club seasons curtailed by injury or illness but have been given every chance to prove their fitness.
