Kirby recalled as Sampson names Euro 2017 squad

03 April 2017 11:39

England Women boss Mark Sampson brought fit-again striker Fran Kirby back into his squad as he revealed the players he will take to Euro 2017 this summer.

Kirby, 23, has spent much of the last year on the sidelines with a knee injury but has returned to training with Chelsea and comes into a squad that is missing several of her England-capped club-mates.

Chelsea's Gilly Flaherty, Claire Rafferty, Gemma Davison, Katie Chapman and Eni Aluko all miss out on the 23-strong squad, which features eight players from Women's Super League champions Manchester City Women, headed by captain Steph Houghton.

Sampson's party includes three from Chelsea - midfielder Millie Bright, playmaker Karen Carney and Kirby - plus three from Liverpool, including former skipper Casey Stoney.

The England manager announced his squad at a press conference held at St George's Park, the Football Association's midlands base.

Sampson said: "An important part with any major tournament is you've got to be able to handle pressure. This team is experienced in doing that.

"We go into the tournament in a good place. The players are growing in belief that we can win the big games."

Sampson has named his squad over three months early, with England tackling Scotland, Spain and Portugal in their group.

Sampson said: "We can't wait to get stuck into Scotland."

Looking ahead to the tournament as a whole, he said: "Most important for us is we believe we can win and our opponents think we can win.

"We'll go into this tournament confident we can perform and stay together."

Houghton, who led England to third place at the World Cup two years ago, added: "Maybe we're under a little more pressure than we were at the World Cup. We want to go one step further and be the best team in Europe.

"We've proved over the last couple of years we can beat the best teams and compete against them."

Source: PA