England Women call up Gabby George to face North Macedonia as Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood and Lotte Wubben-Moy miss out
Leah Williamson will not be involved in Friday's qualifier against North Macedonia; England look to continue their unbeaten start to Group D; Follow North Macedonia vs England across Sky Sports' digital platforms with our dedicated match blog; kick-off 7pm
Friday 8 April 2022 10:34, UK
Gabby George has been called up by England after captain Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood and Lotte Wubben-Moy were ruled out of Friday's World Cup qualifier in North Macedonia.
Williamson, named permanent captain this week, has travelled to Skopje but will not be involved in Friday's qualifier. The 25-year-old is now under concussion protocols having missing training earlier this week as a precaution after being assessed following Arsenal's match at the weekend.
Lionesses boss Sara Wiegman said: "She's doing well. She came in (to the) camp good, but we didn't want to take any risks. She had a little bit of a headache so we take the medical protocols, which means she just needs to take a little more time in her programme to build her up. No duels, no heading, so she's not ready for the game (on) Friday. She's getting prepared for the Tuesday game."
Asked if head injuries were looked after properly in the game, Wiegman said: "I think so. We just took her from Sunday evening when she came in. From that we have been really aware of the situation and doing the right things. I think
she's in a good place."
Greenwood and Wubben-Moy did not make the trip, with Greenwood going back to Manchester City for rehabilitation for a persistent knee issue while Wubben-Moy returned to Arsenal to manage a thigh complaint.
Everton defender George has received her first Lionesses call since World Cup qualifying in 2019, having left the WU23 squad - who were in Spain for a double-header this week against the Netherlands - to answer the senior call.
- Williamson named England captain for Women's Euros
- Women's Euro 2022: Fixtures, venues and full schedule
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Millie Bright, who has been named vice-captain, is set to skipper the side on Friday. The Chelsea defender said: "It's a massive honour. I'm extremely proud of Leah, she's been absolutely amazing. It is fully deserved.
"I don't we have to work too hard in being on the same page, we get on really well and I think we have the same mindset on the pitch. I think we work off each other really well."
England seek to continue their unbeaten start to Group D against North Macedonia with the fixture kicking off at 7pm on Friday.
The Lionesses will conclude the international window against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park on Tuesday 12 April, with kick-off at 7.55pm. Sky Sports will provide dedicated live blogs and analysis of both matches.
Wiegman: Houghton took captaincy decison well
Wiegman has also emphasised the respect she has for Steph Houghton after making the decision to hand Williamson the England captaincy for this summer's home Euros.
Houghton later posted a message on social media saying she understood and respected Wiegman's decision and paid tribute to the "very deserving" Williamson, while also stressing her hope of making the squad for this summer.
The 33-year-old Manchester City defender, who had captained England since 2014 and to three major tournament semi-finals, is recovering after undergoing Achilles surgery in February.
Lionesses boss Wiegman said of Houghton at a press conference ahead of Friday's World Cup qualifier away to North Macedonia: "She took it (the news) very well, I think really as a leader.
"Of course she's disappointed because she has been captain for so long and has done a tremendous job. I have lots of respect for her.
"But she also knows, and that's what we talked about too, she hasn't joined this team for a long time. She came in September and had to leave because of an injury. She started playing with her club in January again and then she had to step out again. So she has missed so many things.
"Also we hope she will get fit. But then she still has to be fit, to perform, then she's starting to compete if she gets fit, to hopefully compete for making the squad.
"That's too hard to wait for that, and with all the things we've done during the season, I thought this wasn't the moment to wait, and appoint the captain.
"She takes it step by step and that's how we approach it together, and we'll see how far she gets.
"I think Leah did a great job, she's a very good player, she connects people on and off the pitch - so that's why I made her the captain."
Women's Euro 2022
The groups...
Group A: England, Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland
Group B: Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Sweden, C3*, Switzerland
Group D: France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland
*Russia suspended until further notice
The venues...
- Wembley Stadium (London)
- Brentford Community Stadium (London)
- Brighton and Hove Community Stadium (Brighton)
- Manchester City Academy Stadium (Manchester)
- Old Trafford (Manchester)
- Stadium MK (Milton Keynes)
- New York Stadium (Rotherham)
- Bramall Lane (Sheffield)
- St Mary's Stadium (Southampton)
- Leigh Sports Village (Leigh)
The schedule...
Group stage:
Wednesday July 6
Group A: England vs Austria - kick off 8pm, Old Trafford
Thursday July 7
Group A: Norway vs Northern Ireland - kick off 8pm, St Mary's
Friday July 8
Group B: Spain vs Finland - kick off 5pm, Stadium MK
Group B: Germany vs Denmark - kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium
Saturday July 9
Group C: C3 vs Switzerland - kick off 5pm, Leigh Sports Village
Group C: Netherlands vs Sweden - kick off 8pm, Bramall Lane
Sunday July 10
Group D: Belgium vs Iceland - kick off 5pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium
Group D: France vs Italy - kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Monday July 11
Group A: Austria vs Northern Ireland - kick off 5pm, St Mary's
Group A: England v Norway - kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium
Tuesday July 12
Group B: Denmark vs Finland - kick off 5pm, Stadium MK
Group B: Germany vs Spain - kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium
Wednesday July 13
Group C: Sweden vs Switzerland - kick off 5pm, Bramall Lane
Group C: Netherlands v C3 - kick off 8pm, Leigh Sports Village
Thursday July 14
Group D: Italy vs Iceland - kick off 5pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium
Group D: France vs Belgium - kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Friday July 15
Group A: Northern Ireland v England - kick off 8pm, St Mary's
Group A: Austria vs Norway - kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium
Saturday July 16
Group B: Finland vs Germany - kick off 8pm, Stadium MK
Group B: Denmark vs Spain - kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium
Sunday July 17
Group C: Switzerland vs Netherlands - kick off 5pm, Bramall Lane
Group C: Sweden vs C3 - kick off 5pm, Leigh Sports Village
Monday July 18
Group D: Iceland vs France - kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Group D: Italy vs Belgium - kick off 8pm, Manchester City Academy Stadium
Knockout phase
Quarter-finals
Wednesday July 20
Quarter-final 1: Winners Group A v Runners-up Group B - kick off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium
Thursday July 21
Quarter-final 2: Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A - kick off 8pm, London Community Stadium
Friday July 22
Quarter-final 3: Winners Group C v Runners-up Group D - kick off 8pm, Leigh Sports Village
Quarter-final 4: Winners Group D v Runners-up Group C - kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Semi-finals
Tuesday July 26
Semi-final 1: Winners quarter-final 1 v Winners quarter-final 3 - kick off 8pm, Bramall Lane
Wednesday July 27
Semi-final 2: Winners quarter-final 2 v Winners quarter-final 4 - kick-off 8pm, Stadium MK
Final
Sunday July 31
