England Lionesses captain Steph Houghton withdraws from squad | OneFootball

England Women’s captain Steph Houghton has been forced to withdraw from the squad with an ankle injury.

Sarina Wiegman’s side take on North Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier at St Mary’s on Friday evening and Houghton was due to skipper the side.

But the Manchester City defender has been forced to pull out, and Arsenal’s Leah Williamson will now take the armband instead.

“First and foremost we would like to wish Steph a speedy recovery and hope to see her back fit soon,” new coach Wiegman said.

“This is also an exciting opportunity for Leah Williamson to wear the captains armband at senior level for the first time and I look forward to seeing her in action.

“We hope to see as many of our fans as possible at this evening’s match as we get our World Cup campaign underway.”

England take on North Macedonia in Southampton on Friday before a trip to Luxembourg on Tuesday.