Lionesses receive major boost as Ella Toone returns from injury for crucial World Cup qualifiers | OneFootball

England manager Sarina Wiegman has expressed optimism regarding Ella Toone's potential impact in the Lionesses' crucial Women's World Cup qualifiers next month, as the team eyes securing their place at next year’s tournament.

The Manchester United midfielder returns to the national squad for the first time since November, having recovered from a hip injury that sidelined her for the latter half of the season.

Despite her recent absence, Wiegman indicated that Toone "looks good" and anticipates her involvement as England seek to seal qualification with at least a draw against Spain in Majorca on 5 June.

"It’s nice she is back and of course she’s called up, so it’s good to have that option in midfield," Wiegman stated.

She added a note of caution regarding playing time: "We haven’t made decisions on the starting line-ups and minutes yet, and I know for a lot of players it’s the end of the season now, and also some players are still playing, but I don’t know. We have to see her in our environment. What I’ve seen looks good.

“Can she play 90 minutes at the highest level? I don’t know, but I know she can play, and as I said, we have options in midfield, as well as, of course, up front and in the back. We’ll approach it in a way that we want to get the best team on the pitch."

open image in gallery

Lucy Bronze has been included in the squad despite recent fitness issues (PA Wire)

Defender Lucy Bronze is also included in the squad, despite battling a foot injury in recent weeks. Wiegman acknowledged that some players might be short on match fitness but maintained her belief in their quality.

"There are a couple of players who haven’t played that many minutes," Wiegman explained. "I still think they’re the best players, and that we can make the chance of winning as high as possible when they’re in. We’ll see when they come in, but we have a squad of 25 so we have enough options that we can play."

The 25-player Lionesses squad will travel to Majorca for the pivotal clash with the current world champions on 5 June.

A draw against Spain would be sufficient to secure their place at the World Cup. England, who boast a perfect record of four wins from four qualifiers so far, will then face Ukraine at the Hill Dickinson Stadium four days later.

The Dutch coach emphasised her team's proactive approach: "We’re just really approaching it as we have an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup, and we know what the scenarios are, and we really want to go out there and play to win," she said.

open image in gallery

Wiegman stated England will play to win when they face Spain (PA Wire)

"We know how it stands if we win or we tie, then we qualify after the first game, but even if we don’t, there’s still a chance against the Ukraine game. And if that wouldn’t be the case, then we have a chance to qualify in the autumn, so that’s the factual situation.

“What we want to do is go to Majorca and play Spain and beat Spain, that’s our starting point, and go out and play better than we have done in Wembley, because we want to improve every single day, that’s our starting point."

Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton, Anna Moorhouse, Ellie Roebuck