‘There is no crisis’ before Euro 2025 – Wiegman

England manager Sarina Wiegman says “there is no crisis” despite a chaotic 10 days which has seen three high-profile senior players either retire from international football in the build-up to Euro 2025 or withdraw from the tournament.

Wiegman named a 23-player squad on Thursday for the tournament in Switzerland, which starts on 2 July, where England are defending champions.

She will be without goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby, who have both retired from international football, while defender Millie Bright, who captained the side to the World Cup final in 2023, withdrew from selection to focus on her mental and physical wellbeing.

The loss of three players, who have won a combined 217 caps, in such a short time has led to a potentially unsettling period for the Lionesses – and distractions off the pitch dominated discussions at the end of their Women’s Nations League campaign this week.

“Yeah, of course,]it] has been hard”, said Wiegman. “I think there are three different stories and every story is one on its own.

“]These are] players who have been with us for a long time, who I have been working with for a long time and so that’s hard. “

But the Dutchwoman says she is happy with the atmosphere inside the England camp.

” You]the media] see part of it, you are not in our environment all the time and I can ensure that the training sessions were really good last week, “she said.

” I didn’t see anything]to suggest] that there were no connections within the team. I am really happy]with] where we are right now. “

Wiegman had to address issues around player’s performance-related bonuses in the build-up to the World Cup and there was also heavy scrutiny on her decision to omit former captain Steph Houghton from the Euro 2022 squad in her first year in charge.

” My experiences before is that there is always noise. We expect noise until we go into the tournament, “said Wiegman.

” The difference is, between 2015 and 2017 to now, is that the attention and visibility of the women’s game has increased so much.

Wiegman said she was feeling “good” despite it being a week full of difficult decisions and conversations.

Kirby’s retirement followed Wiegman’s decision not to include her in the Euros squad, while goalkeeper Earps was unhappy at her position as number two.

Wiegman said it is “part of the job” to endure those experiences but she can “move forward” to the Euros now.

“Yes, those hard conversations are not nice. I know what players do and how hard they work to make the squad. It’s hard to give disappointing messages”, she added.

“At the same time, I also had very nice messages to give so that gives me more energy.

” After I have conversations with players, I always think, ‘ OK, what went well? ‘ For me, it is really important that I am honest, that I treat people in the right way.

“Sometimes, you have very good news and, sometimes, you don’t have good news – and I don’t go around the bush with that.

” I just give that message, then I can’t always control how people respond to that. I just hope that they have the clarity to move on. “

Wiegman also said part of the growth of women’s football, and the success of the Lionesses, has added increased demands on her players.

Wiegman claimed the Chelsea captain would have been chosen if she hadn’t withdrawn herself, but Bright’s withdrawal has been a blow for England.

When she learned of Bright’s decision, she responded, “In the last couple of days I learned.” It was disappointing and depressing.

“I just hope she feels better soon because it’s not nice when you’re not feeling well physically and mentally.”

“The profile of England is growing. That is both very exciting and life-changing, but players are not robots at the same time. They also have to deal with these issues.