Football

Phil Neville opts for youth as England target another SheBelieves Cup title


Phil Neville has unveiled a squad littered with young players for the Lionesses’ defence of the SheBelieves Cup in the US at the start of March as he prepares for the team’s biggest test ahead of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

Everton forward Chloe Kelly has earned her second call up having scored nine goals for the Toffees from the wing in the Women’s Super League. While West Ham defender Grace Fisk, who joined the London team after graduating from the University of South Carolina, has been handed her first call-up.

“She is a multifunctional player,” said Neville of Kelly. “She plays on the left, right, was a centre-forward on Monday night. I love everything about the kid.“

Birmingham’s goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Alessia Russo will make the trip as training players.

“They deserve to be in the squad,” said Neville. “I don’t look at age, whether you’re over 30 or under 20, I look at the quality and what you can bring to the team and I think we’ve got the nucleus of an exciting bunch of players to come through and I think when I saw these young players play in France a few years ago in the Under-20 World Cup.

“The nucleus of that team are going to break into the squad together, they’re going to hunt in packs together, they’re going to protect each other, they’re going to support each other. I think now’s the right time, having planned it for the last 12 months to bring them into the squad.”

Notable absences are 33-year-old Reign FC forward Jodie Taylor and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps though Neville said “the door is always open”.

“Ultimately it was a choice between Carly Telford and Mary Earps because I was never going to take a keeper of that experience and not play them,” explained Neville. “So I have explained to Mary that this is a one-off decision. It was a choice between which experienced keeper I would take to support the two young ones.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal forward Beth Mead is ruled out due to injury. Everton’s Sandy McIver joins Manchester City keeper Ellie Roebuck and Chelsea’s Carly Telford for her second camp.

England’s new year gets underway against top-ranked team, the USA, on 5 March in Orlando. Since their defeat to USA on 2 July in World Cup semi final they have struggled to two wins from seven games, a scrappy 1-0 win over Portugal and a 3-2 win in the Czech Republic.

“This is the best competition outside of the major tournaments, I still believe that and you’re playing against the best team in the world,” said Neville. “In terms of the two day turnarounds in-between games, the travel, the crowds, I think this is vital in our programme and we want to win the competition.”

Beth England, who missed the World Cup last year despite spearheading Chelsea’s attack is now a key part of Neville’s side. The forward has scored 13 goals and has three assists in the WSL and is the league’s second highest top scorer behind Dutch record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema.

“I think what you see in Beth England, she was really unlucky probably before the World Cup, she probably just started to hit her form probably too late,” said Neville. “In a team full of experienced international footballers she looks to me the standout one and every time I see her play.”

England have dropped to sixth in the world in the Fifa rankings since they won the tournament last year. After the US, they play Japan in New Jersey and Spain in Frisco.

Neville has named a 23-player squad which will have to be significantly slimmed down ahead of the Olympics, adding an incentive to perform in the States, where his TeamGB side will be capped at 18 and can include the best of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.



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