England keeper debut due with Hampton out injured

Due to an elbow injury, Hannah Hampton will miss England’s friendly against Brazil on Saturday, making one of the other goalkeepers’ debuts.

The 24-year-old saved two penalties in England’s final shootout victory over Spain, making it one of the stars of the Euro 2025 victory.

In Hampton’s absence, one of the backup goalkeepers, Khiara Keating or Anna Moorhouse, is expected to play at Etihad Stadium, but manager Sarina Wiegman won’t say who.

Lotte Wubben-Moy, a defensive defender for Arsenal, and Jess Park, a player for Manchester United, will both miss Saturday’s game due to illness.

“It’s not nice to have a injury, but it’s not a serious injury. The other goalkeepers also have a chance, Wiegman said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

We were going to try these friendly games anyway, and they’re good for that. Because there is only one position, it’s always harder to get goalkeepers.

Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse are two very different goalkeepers. A young, extremely talented player, Khiara.

Khiara plays out from the back and is very explosive on the line. Anna is extremely skilled at defending crosses. They are the differences because they play at her club a little differently and are more direct.

In a series of homecoming games to end the year, The Lionesses will celebrate their European successes by hosting four friendlies in succession.

England defender Alex Greenwood praised the other goalkeepers’ influence during Euro 2025, saying, “They have been very patient. They did a fantastic job of supporting both Hannah and the team over the summer.

In Leah Williamson’s absence, the Arsenal defender hasn’t played since having knee surgery, so Wiegman confirmed that Chelsea midfielder Keira Walsh will be the team captain for the game at Etihad Stadium (17:30 BST).

Walsh, 28, has a lifelong support base at Manchester City and spent eight years there before moving to Barcelona in 2022, breaking the previous record.

It’s a role that Keira genuinely deserves. She is incredibly influential, according to Greenwood, who probably doesn’t give herself enough credit in the leadership position.

Keira and I are a little older than each other, but she has a significant impact on this team both on and off the field.

She says, “Her experience and demands of high quality, day in, day out,”

Greenwood, who is the captain of Manchester City and has never played for England, will also have a “really special” night.

It’s similar to returning home, she said in a way. It will be a memory I’ll cherish for a long time. It’s been a while since we last played in Manchester (at Old Trafford), so it’s nice that I get to play on my side this time.

England’s preparation for the 2027 Women’s World Cup begins with a new cycle against Brazil.

In addition to the squad, Chelsea’s Lucia Kendall, an uncapped AFL player, Taylor Hinds, an Arsenal defender, and Grace Fisk, a Liverpool captain, are also in the squad.

With Wiegman’s former right-hand man Arjan Veurink joining the Netherlands as head coach and Janneke Bijl and Arvid Smit joining the Lionesses as assistant coaches, there have also been changes in the coaching staff.

“We won’t be starting fresh, so I think it’s important to see it as a new cycle.” “We’ll pick up where we left off,” Greenwood remarked.

“It’s important that we don’t put what we’ve done to bed and build on that, rather than take it away,” said the player and staff group.