Phil Neville says his England Women squad are 'anxious' over World Cup selection
Jill Scott to captain England against Spain on Tuesday
Monday 8 April 2019 17:32, UK
Phil Neville has admitted there is an "anxiousness" in the England Women camp ahead of their final warm-up game before World Cup selection.
England take on Spain at Swindon's Energy Check County Ground on Tuesday as they look to bounce back from a 1-0 friendly defeat to Canada.
Neville will then name his squad of 23 players before their final two friendlies against Denmark and New Zealand. They begin in Group D at the World Cup against Scotland on June 9.
"Mentally and physically they are in good shape," said Neville. "What I would say is this is the last camp before World Cup selection so there has been an anxiousness among them.
"I have quite enjoyed seeing how they have handled that. This is an elite level of sport where you have to perform under pressure.
"I want a good performance from us tomorrow. I will be making changes and providing more opportunities for some players that have deserved it and I want them to go out and play like we have done for the last 14 months."
When asked how many players were already in his mind for the World Cup squad, Neville said: "Zero, at this moment in time. We have got 30 players that can all go to a World Cup.
"From day one I said I am going to open the gates to everybody having the opportunity to go to a World Cup.
"If I said now 'I've settled on my 23', that would be disrespectful to a lot of players.
"When they go back to their clubs, I want my players to be playing at their absolute maximum in those games. Every single player needs to perform to be in the squad.
"If you hand something on a plate to people, that is when you get a comfort zone."
Neville also confirmed midfielder Jill Scott will captain the side against Spain, following the withdrawal of Steph Houghton on Monday.
