logo
Lauren James will be fit final against Spain, Sarina Wiegman confirms

Lauren James will be fit final against Spain, Sarina Wiegman confirms

ITV Newsa day ago
England forward Lauren James will be available for the Euro 2025 final with Spain in Basel, manager Sarina Wiegman has confirmed.
The forward was forced off at half-time of the Lionesses' extra-time semi-final comeback over Italy with an ankle issue, but trained with the team in Zurich on Saturday morning before Sunday's title decider.
Wiegman said: 'We had 23 players on the pitch today and everyone came through, so if everyone recovers well, then we have 23 players available for tomorrow.
'I think we have many players that can impact, and we know that (James) can have an impact too, so that will be nice.'
Captain Leah Williamson added: 'I think we have a team of talented players. Lauren brings something slightly different, just like the others, so obviously having that available is best-case scenario for us.'
Williamson survived her own injury scare in Switzerland when she rolled her ankle in extra time of their spectacular quarter-final, penalty-shootout comeback against Sweden, but returned for their semi-final.
She said: 'I can speak for every single member of the squad when I say we will play as long as we get the green light, we would play through absolutely anything to be involved at this stage.
'My ankle is great. My mum actually rolled her ankle a couple of days ago, so she's taken all the attention away from me now.
'But no, I had a scare. Obviously, I want to be involved, and I want to be available to help the team any way they need me. But obviously played that game, the semi-final and ready to go tomorrow.'
Williamson missed out on the World Cup after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in April 2023, and was forced to watch their loss to Spain – in England's first final at a global showpiece – from the stands.
'It was awful,' she admitted. 'I think once you're part of a team, being on the outside, and I know how tired you are when you get to that stage, how much a tournament takes out of you, and to be completely useless, that probably bothered me the most.
'But to sit with the families, knowing what they go through, that actually makes me reflect on this tournament, and we haven't been very kind to them at all.
'But I think that feels like a really long time ago, which is probably a benefit for the whole squad.
'Anybody would give anything to be part of their team when they're going through moments like that.
'It was tough. The only plus was sitting next to Jill (Scott) I suppose, and sharing it with somebody who knew what it felt like.'
Asked about the importance of having her skipper free to face Spain, Wiegman added: 'Of course, I'm very happy with that, as I am very happy that we have 23 players available tomorrow.
'And yeah, Leah has a big role in the team, so it's really nice to have her on the pitch.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure
Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure

Rhyl Journal

time14 minutes ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure

After the game Lucy Bronze revealed the extraordinary lengths she had gone to in helping the team win a second major trophy under Sarina Wiegman, who herself has now won three European titles in a row. Away from the tournament, Luis Diaz is on his way out of Liverpool while new signing Viktor Gyokeres has joined up with Arsenal. England secured their Euro 2025 crown in a fashion in keeping with their performances throughout the entire tournament. After needing to recover from an opening loss to France just to make it out of the group stage, and then play 120 minutes against both Sweden and Italy to reach the final, England again came from behind on the night and went the distance as Alessia Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey's opener. After seeing goalkeeper Hannah Hampton make two key saves before Kelly's winning spot-kick, Wiegman called it 'the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played' as the never-say-die attitude of her players again shone through. Captain Leah Williamson said: 'It's just total disbelief, but at the same time I knew it was going to happen. Playing for this England team is unbelievable. You just cannot put us down and it's such an amazing feeling to be a part of.' After Sunday's final England defender Bronze revealed she had played the whole of the tournament with a fractured tibia. The 33-year-old full-back had played every minute of Euro 2025 until she succumbed to a separate knee injury at half-time of extra time in Basel. 'I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew. And now I've hurt my knee on the other leg,' Bronze said on BBC Sport. Speaking after Bronze came through the quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over Sweden, Wiegman had said of Bronze: 'I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in the wheelchair' and we can now see what she meant. Luis Diaz is on his way out of Liverpool after the club agreed a £66million deal with Bayern Munich. The agreement comes after the Bundesliga champions were understood to have reopened dialogue regarding a move after having an initial offer of £59m dismissed last week. Liverpool are currently on their pre-season tour in Asia and Diaz was still with the team when they arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, but now has permission to leave. The 28-year-old has two years left on his original contract and it is understood the Reds accepted the bid for what they consider to be his market value. Great to have you with us, Viktor 👊 — Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 27, 2025 New signing Viktor Gyokeres watched on as Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-2 in their pre-season meeting in Singapore on Sunday. The 27-year-old striker completed his £55m move from Sporting Lisbon to the Gunners on Saturday and was presented to fans at the National Stadium before kick-off a day later. He saw Arsenal come from behind to beat the Magpies, with Martin Odegaard getting the winner from the penalty spot in the 84th minute. Arsenal are back in pre-season action against rivals Tottenham on Thursday, while Newcastle face an all-star K League side on Wednesday.

Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure
Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure

Leader Live

time14 minutes ago

  • Leader Live

Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure

After the game Lucy Bronze revealed the extraordinary lengths she had gone to in helping the team win a second major trophy under Sarina Wiegman, who herself has now won three European titles in a row. Away from the tournament, Luis Diaz is on his way out of Liverpool while new signing Viktor Gyokeres has joined up with Arsenal. England secured their Euro 2025 crown in a fashion in keeping with their performances throughout the entire tournament. After needing to recover from an opening loss to France just to make it out of the group stage, and then play 120 minutes against both Sweden and Italy to reach the final, England again came from behind on the night and went the distance as Alessia Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey's opener. After seeing goalkeeper Hannah Hampton make two key saves before Kelly's winning spot-kick, Wiegman called it 'the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played' as the never-say-die attitude of her players again shone through. Captain Leah Williamson said: 'It's just total disbelief, but at the same time I knew it was going to happen. Playing for this England team is unbelievable. You just cannot put us down and it's such an amazing feeling to be a part of.' After Sunday's final England defender Bronze revealed she had played the whole of the tournament with a fractured tibia. The 33-year-old full-back had played every minute of Euro 2025 until she succumbed to a separate knee injury at half-time of extra time in Basel. 'I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew. And now I've hurt my knee on the other leg,' Bronze said on BBC Sport. Speaking after Bronze came through the quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over Sweden, Wiegman had said of Bronze: 'I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in the wheelchair' and we can now see what she meant. Luis Diaz is on his way out of Liverpool after the club agreed a £66million deal with Bayern Munich. The agreement comes after the Bundesliga champions were understood to have reopened dialogue regarding a move after having an initial offer of £59m dismissed last week. Liverpool are currently on their pre-season tour in Asia and Diaz was still with the team when they arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, but now has permission to leave. The 28-year-old has two years left on his original contract and it is understood the Reds accepted the bid for what they consider to be his market value. Great to have you with us, Viktor 👊 — Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 27, 2025 New signing Viktor Gyokeres watched on as Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-2 in their pre-season meeting in Singapore on Sunday. The 27-year-old striker completed his £55m move from Sporting Lisbon to the Gunners on Saturday and was presented to fans at the National Stadium before kick-off a day later. He saw Arsenal come from behind to beat the Magpies, with Martin Odegaard getting the winner from the penalty spot in the 84th minute. Arsenal are back in pre-season action against rivals Tottenham on Thursday, while Newcastle face an all-star K League side on Wednesday.

Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure
Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure

Glasgow Times

time14 minutes ago

  • Glasgow Times

Monday's briefing: Euro 2025 glory for England as Diaz nears Liverpool departure

After the game Lucy Bronze revealed the extraordinary lengths she had gone to in helping the team win a second major trophy under Sarina Wiegman, who herself has now won three European titles in a row. Away from the tournament, Luis Diaz is on his way out of Liverpool while new signing Viktor Gyokeres has joined up with Arsenal. England bring it home England secured their Euro 2025 crown in a fashion in keeping with their performances throughout the entire tournament. After needing to recover from an opening loss to France just to make it out of the group stage, and then play 120 minutes against both Sweden and Italy to reach the final, England again came from behind on the night and went the distance as Alessia Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey's opener. After seeing goalkeeper Hannah Hampton make two key saves before Kelly's winning spot-kick, Wiegman called it 'the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played' as the never-say-die attitude of her players again shone through. Captain Leah Williamson said: 'It's just total disbelief, but at the same time I knew it was going to happen. Playing for this England team is unbelievable. You just cannot put us down and it's such an amazing feeling to be a part of.' Bronze revealed fractured tibia after England win Lucy Bronze revealed she had been playing with a fractured tibia (Nick Potts/PA) After Sunday's final England defender Bronze revealed she had played the whole of the tournament with a fractured tibia. The 33-year-old full-back had played every minute of Euro 2025 until she succumbed to a separate knee injury at half-time of extra time in Basel. 'I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew. And now I've hurt my knee on the other leg,' Bronze said on BBC Sport. Speaking after Bronze came through the quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over Sweden, Wiegman had said of Bronze: 'I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in the wheelchair' and we can now see what she meant. Diaz to leave Liverpool for Bayern Munich Luis Diaz is heading for the Liverpool exit (Peter Byrne/PA) Luis Diaz is on his way out of Liverpool after the club agreed a £66million deal with Bayern Munich. The agreement comes after the Bundesliga champions were understood to have reopened dialogue regarding a move after having an initial offer of £59m dismissed last week. Liverpool are currently on their pre-season tour in Asia and Diaz was still with the team when they arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, but now has permission to leave. The 28-year-old has two years left on his original contract and it is understood the Reds accepted the bid for what they consider to be his market value. Gyokeres joins up with Arsenal Great to have you with us, Viktor 👊 — Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 27, 2025 New signing Viktor Gyokeres watched on as Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-2 in their pre-season meeting in Singapore on Sunday. The 27-year-old striker completed his £55m move from Sporting Lisbon to the Gunners on Saturday and was presented to fans at the National Stadium before kick-off a day later. He saw Arsenal come from behind to beat the Magpies, with Martin Odegaard getting the winner from the penalty spot in the 84th minute. Arsenal are back in pre-season action against rivals Tottenham on Thursday, while Newcastle face an all-star K League side on Wednesday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store