Sarina Wiegman has left the door open for Lauren James to make England’s Euro 2025 squad, even if the Chelsea forward is racing to prove her fitness in time. James picked up a hamstring injury during England’s April clash with Belgium. No timeframe was placed on her recovery, and she was left out of the Lionesses’ Nations League squad for upcoming games against Portugal on May 30th and Spain on June third.
00:00Serena Weichmann has left the door open for Lauren James to make England's Euro 2025 squad,
00:08even if the Chelsea forward is racing to prove her fitness in time.
00:12James picked up a hamstring injury during England's April clash with Belgium.
00:17No time frame was placed on her recovery and she was left out of the Lionesses' National League squad
00:23for upcoming games against Portugal on May 30th and Spain on June 3rd.
00:30While England have been boosted by the returns of Georgia Stanway, Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp from injury,
00:35there is less clarity on James' condition.
00:39England's final match before Euro 2025 begins is against Jamaica on the 29th of June.
00:45That could be James' last opportunity to show she's fit enough to make the tournament squad.
00:52Weichmann confirmed James is still in contention but her inclusion could come down to the wire.
00:57The 23-year-old has had a mixed run with injuries but remains a key player.
01:02She scored three goals and registered three assists at the 2023 Women's World Cup.
01:08And ready to go into it.
01:10And then again, these three things are important.
01:12She needs to be healthy.
01:13She needs to be able to train and recover from training.
01:17And then you can build a bit.
01:18And of course, we also know finding balance in your squad.
01:22You can't bring in three, four players who are in that stage.
01:25But probably one player that has been doing really well, that could be an opportunity.
01:32England opened their title defence against France in Zurich on July 5th with Weichmann expected to name her final 23 players shortly after the June international break.
01:42The England manager played down concerns over players' club commitments, particularly those involved in the Champions League final at the end of May.
01:53Arsenal players are set to feature in that match, while others from Manchester United and Manchester City could take part in the new World Sevens tournament, which carries a prize pot of £3 million.
02:05Weichmann insisted these extra fixtures would not impact selection decisions.
