While England’s World Cup squad was largely as expected, Sarina Wiegman saved room for a rare decision that seemed to go against the public opinion. It wasn’t the absence of Beth Mead, who simply ran out of time to recover for the World Cup, or the recall of Bethany England, who left Wiegman with no other choice after her goalscoring form since joining Tottenham. The inclusion of Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze, despite recent injury concerns, was welcomed: the Lionesses will need their experience in Australia, especially after losing Leah Williamson.
Instead, the divisive selection call was over a player with just two England caps to her name. At 21, Maya Le Tissier would have perhaps set her sights on making a World Cup stand-by list just a few months ago, but after her excellent season with Manchester United there was disbelief when Wiegman’s squad was announced and she was not among the seven defenders included.
