Manchester City's Toni Duggan recalled to England squad

13 October 2016 14:08

Manchester City striker Toni Duggan has been recalled to the England Women squad for friendly matches against France and Spain.

Duggan, who recently won the league and cup double with her club, was left out by head coach Mark Sampson for last month's Euro 2017 qualifiers against Estonia and Belgium.

Midfielder Millie Bright, who made her debut as a substitute in the 2-0 win in Belgium, keeps her place but fellow Chelsea player Claire Rafferty has been dropped from the 23, while Eni Aluko and Katie Chapman continue to be overlooked.

Sampson told thefa.com: "Both France and Spain will be challenging matches for us but these are the type of opportunities this group looks forward to and are an important part of our preparations for next summer.

"We will be working hard over the camp to prepare ourselves as best we can to win both matches while also having one eye on the Euros."

The Lionesses host the French at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium on October 21 before heading to Estadio Municipal Pedro Escartin in Guadalajara to take on Spain four days later.

The matches mark the start of England's preparation for next summer's Euros in the Netherlands, with the draw for the competition set to take place in Rotterdam on November 8.

Full squad: Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Laura Bassett (Notts County), Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Karen Carney (Chelsea), Danielle Carter (Arsenal), Siobhan Chamberlain (Liverpool), Isobel Christiansen (Manchester City), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Gemma Davison (Chelsea), Duggan (Manchester City), Gilly Flaherty (Chelsea), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Jade Moore (Notts County), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Manchester City), Jo Potter (Notts County), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Rebecca Spencer (Chelsea), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Casey Stoney (Arsenal), Fara Williams (Arsenal).

Source: PA