England manager Sarina Wiegman has named her 26-player squad for the 2023 edition of the Arnold Clark Cup later this month.
Hoping to defend the cult trophy they won in 2022, the Lionesses will play South Korea, Italy and Belgium in the four-team competition over several days, which will serve as a crucial warm-up opportunity ahead of the 2023 World Cup in summer.
Laura Coombs has been rewarded for her excellent form at Manchester City this season, while Everton goalkeeper Emily Ramsey, who is on loan from Manchester United, is also called up.
Manchester United defender Maya Le Tissier and Brighton forward Katie Robinson have both kept their places after previously being called up in November. But there is no Nikita Parris this time, while Esme Morgan misses out through injury.
There had been calls for Everton captain Gabby George to make the cut after excelling at left-back this season, but she misses out as well.
“The first camp of the year is always important to set the right tone for what comes next, especially with such a big opportunity in the summer. We are only looking forward now and we have to stay humble and focused on working hard,” Wiegman said.
“We know the fans will be with us again and we can’t wait to see them at every stadium.
“We had a positive experience with the Arnold Clark Cup last time. We had three tough matches with different challenges in each one, and we were able to learn a lot from our performances and work on many details which we are aiming to do again.”
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Man Utd), Sandy MacIver (Man City), Emily Ramsey (Everton), Ellie Roebuck (Man City)
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Alex Greenwood (Man City), Maya Le Tissier (Man Utd), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Man City), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Man Utd), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Katie Zelem (Man Utd)
Forwards: Lauren Hemp (Man City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Man City), Jess Park (Everton), Alessia Russo (Man Utd), Katie Robinson (Brighton), Ebony Salmon (Houston Dash)
First held in 2022, the Arnold Clark Cup is an invitational annual mini-tournament held in England.
The Lionesses had been regular early participants in the SheBelieves Cup, a similar competition launched in 2016 off the back of the previous year’s World Cup.
The Arnold Clark Cup follows a similar principal, with top nations invited to compete to both further the growth of the women’s game and give teams practice of competitive international football.
The Arnold Clark Cup is a round-robin format, with each of the four teams playing every other country once. The winner is whoever tops the table after three games.
The 2023 Arnold Clark Cup will be played over six days from 16 Febuary until 22 February.
The first set of matches will be played on 16 February, with the next lot to follow three days later and the tournement to conclude with the final round of games on 22 February.
Each set of fixtures at the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup will be played as a double header at a different host stadium. First up is Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, where several Euro 2022 games were played. The Coventry Building Society Arena follows next, with Bristol City’s Ashton Gate to finish.
Credit: 90min.com
