By Lori Ewing
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Fran Kirby is back in England’s women’s squad for the first time since sustaining a knee injury in February while midfielder Grace Clinton and goalkeeper Khiara Keating earned their first call-ups for the Nations League double header against Belgium.
The Lionesses are third in Group A1 with three points after a win over Scotland and loss to the Netherlands while Belgium top the group with four points.
England host the Belgians on Oct. 27 at Leicester City’s ground and then travel to Leuven four days later.
“It’s good for us to be back together,” said coach Sarina Wiegman. “Obviously we had a good start with the win against Scotland, however the outcome of our last fixture against the Netherlands was disappointing.
“We will be fully focused to perform well twice against tough opposition. Belgium’s results in the Nations League show they are a talented side who can cause teams problems, so we’ll need to be at our best to get the results we’re looking for.”
Clinton earned her spot after scoring her first goal for Tottenham Hotspur with a superb long-range strike last weekend.
England squad:
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Ellie Roebuck.
Defenders: Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Alex Greenwood, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Lucy Parker, Lotte Wubben-Moy.
Midfielders: Grace Clinton, Fran Kirby, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Katie Zelem, Keira Walsh.
Forwards: Rachel Daly, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Jess Park, Alessia Russo
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
