14 July 2023 , 12:36
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Bethany England was seemingly delivered a stark message from England boss Sarina Wiegman as the 29-year-old was the only outfield player to be left on the bench in the Lionesses’ final preparation match ahead of the Women’s World Cup.
The European champions were consigned to a third successive goalless draw ahead of the tournament as they faced Canada in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday evening in Australia.
The Lionesses were unable to break the stalemate against the 2019 Olympic Gold medallists despite Wiegman emptying her bench, with every player getting minutes on the pitch with the exception of Manchester City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck and striker England.
No injury news regarding the Tottenham striker’s lack of minutes has been provided by the England camp.
The Spurs forward has seized headlines over the last few months regarding her inclusion in the World Cup squad.
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England had not featured for her country since September and her apparent icing out by Wiegman seemed all but certain as she was left out of four consecutive international camps.
Yet England constructed a seemingly incontrovertible case for her inclusion since her record-breaking move from Chelsea to Tottenham Hotspur in January. Across 11 matches for the Lilywhite, England notched 13 goals, including a brace against Reading in the season’s penultimate match to secure Spurs’ WSL safety.
With the absences of Fran Kirby and last summer’s Golden Boot and player of the tournament winner Beth Mead from the attacking line-up, the noise for England’s call-up to beef up the forward line was fierce.
Wiegman hailed the striker’s “resilience” when asked about her selection. Yet, that resilience has been tested with the striker now having not featured in either of England’s preparatory matches.
Competition for minutes was always going to be cut-throat, with WSL Golden boot winner Rachel Daly and new Arsenal signing Alessia Russo preferred to lead the line under Wiegman.
Nevertheless following the goalless draw with Portugal the England boss insisted that England's final preparatory match against Canada presented an opportunity to test new partnerships and hone chemistry before competition begins.
That England is the only outfield player to not get any minutes ahead of the tournament’s group stages arrives as a potential message to the peripheral role she will once again be assigned.
At last European championship, England did not feature across any competitive minutes as the Lionesses laid claim to their first-ever major trophy, though the striker was seen celebrating with Wiegman at Wembley in a sign of a non-fractured relationship.
The Lionesses will begin their World Cup campaign with a group stage match against Haiti on 22 July.