Wiegman tells Mead next move is vital for England prospects as Toone earns recall

Sarina Wiegman has said Beth Mead’s adjacent transportation will beryllium a “very important” facet successful nan England forward’s chances of going to nan 2027 Women’s World Cup, arsenic nan outgoing Arsenal guardant seeks much regular starts.

The 31-year-old is understood to beryllium adjacent to agreeing a move to Manchester City, aft it was confirmed she will time off Arsenal astatine nan extremity of her statement this summertime aft 9 years.

Mead, nan prima of England’s 2022 European Championship triumph, played successful 21 of Arsenal’s 22 convention fixtures this word but started only 12 of them.

“I deliberation [it is] very important,” Wiegman said, erstwhile asked astir Mead’s adjacent steps. “She is still very eager and I deliberation she still has nan highest level. When you play astatine Arsenal, they person specified a beardown squad and they [play] truthful galore games, truthful they divided minutes successful those games.

“She wants to get a bully move and wants to compete for nan World Cup and make nan squad adjacent year. Of people that’s a agelong measurement retired but you person to make nan correct decision.”

Wiegman has recalled nan Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone, nan Chelsea guardant Aggie Beever-Jones and nan London City Lionesses winger Freya Godfrey aft injuries for adjacent month’s 2 important World Cup qualifiers, pinch Mead besides successful nan 25-player squad.

The Lionesses will look Spain successful Mallorca connected 5 June earlier hosting Ukraine astatine Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium 4 days later successful their last fixture successful this qualifying group. England are apical pinch 4 wins from four, including a hugely valuable home triumph complete Spain astatine Wembley successful April, which has put them successful rod position to suffice automatically for adjacent summer’s finals successful Brazil. Only nan group winners will debar nan playoffs.

Wiegman said it was excessively soon to cognize whether Toone tin play “90 minutes astatine nan highest level” but added: “It’s bully she’s back. There are a mates of players that haven’t played that galore minutes. I still deliberation they’re nan champion players and they tin make nan chance of winning arsenic precocious arsenic possible, erstwhile they’re in. But we person a squad of 25 truthful capable options that we tin play.”

There is nary spot successful nan squad for nan 18-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson, a astonishment inclusion successful April’s squad. Discussing nan omission of Parkinson, Wiegman said: “Erica came into nan squad for nan first clip arsenic a young player, turned 18 successful our camp. We wanted to spot her, she brought what we thought she would bring. I said successful that [April] property convention that she would really astonishment maine if she would play consecutive distant successful a starting position, but she showed a mates of [good] things. There is still a spread for her to gain nan minutes to compete pinch different players successful nan squad.”