Fran Kirby named in England Women squad for Belgium double-header

Fran Kirby has returned to the England Women squad ahead of the Lionesses two games against Belgium in the UEFA Women’s Nations League.

The Chelsea star had been out of action for eight months after undergoing knee surgery in May – surgery which unfortunately meant she could not partake in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Kirby has slowly been reintegrated into Chelsea first team action at the start of the 2023/24 WSL season, and after a few cameo appearances she made her first start of the season in a weekend win over West Ham United.

Along with Kirby, Keira Walsh has also made her return to the squad having missed the September Women’s Nations League clashes with the Netherlands and Scotland.

Two potential new stars of the women’s game, 19-year-old Khiara Keating and 20-year-old Grace Clinton, could be set to make their senior debuts for the Lionesses in one of the two games against Belgium. Both players have received their first ever call-ups to the senior squad, having both thoroughly impressed in the opening weeks of the WSL season.

Speaking about the upcoming Nations League games, manager Wiegman discussed the need for the team to bounce back from what was a disappointing defeat to the Netherlands in September: “It’s good for us to be back together. Obviously we had a good start with the win against Scotland; however, the outcome of our last fixture against the Netherlands was disappointing.

“We will be fully focused to perform well twice against tough opposition. Belgium’s results in the Nations League show they are talented side who can cause teams problems, so we will need to be at our best to get the results we’re looking for.

“The group is wide open, so every game is crucial. The squad have shown their ability to respond to setbacks and I’m sure this will be no different. We look forward to meeting up at St George’s Park next Monday and putting in the time to make sure we’re fully prepared and ready to go twice in quick succession.

“Again we feel very fortunate to be playing in front of a sell-out crowd. The support we are receiving from all corners of the country is amazing, it isn’t something we’ll ever take for granted and it really gives us that extra lift. Hopefully we can give them another night to remember.”

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