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Women’s Euros: Who are England’s best players?
With England's preparation for Euro 2022 in full swing, women's football expert Joe Rindl picks out five players to watch this summer.
Lauren Hemp
- Club: Man City
- Position: Winger
- Age: 21
Will this be the tournament where Lauren Hemp introduces herself as one of Europe’s elites?
The 21-year-old Manchester City winger won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for a third consecutive season and a fourth time overall a week before England’s squad was announced in early June.
Hemp was the standout player for a City side that snuck back into the top three and qualified for the Champions League last campaign.
She scored 10 goals and assisted six times across 20 matches in the WSL last term.
And this season also saw her net her first goal in an England shirt, and in some style too. Hemp scored four times in November’s 20-0 thrashing of Latvia, and she has since taken her tally to six goals in 19 caps.
Georgia Stanway
- Club: Man City
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 23
While Lauren Hemp dominated on the wings for Manchester City last season, it was Georgia Stanway who was often dictating play from midfield.
Her eight goals and one assist playing in all of the City’s 22 WSL fixtures last season earned her a move to German side Bayern Munich earlier this summer.
Capable of playing as a forward, 23-year-old Stanway already has a heap of individual awards to her name.
In June 2018, she was named in the UEFA Women’s Champions League squad of the season. A year later she was awarded the PFA Women's Young Player of the Year.
Stanway already boasts 31 caps for England, scoring eight goals. She remains in fine form for her country having netted four times across five international matches this season.
Fran Kirby
- Club: Chelsea
- Position: Forward
- Age: 28
Such is Fran Kirby’s brilliance, she makes this list even though she hasn’t played a minute of competitive football since February.
Less than two months into 2022, Chelsea’s Kirby announced she would be “out for the foreseeable future” after suffering from fatigue.
England will hope she can quickly refind her form that saw her shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or in 2021.
In the 2020-21 season she netted 16 goals and made 11 assists, a staggering 27 goal involvements, across 18 league games.
This term, before her injury, she added six goals and six assists in 13 WSL matches as Chelsea lifted their third straight title.
Beth Mead
- Club: Arsenal
- Position: Forward
- Age: 27
No English player scored more goals in the WSL than Arsenal forward Beth Mead last season.
The 27-year-old scored 11 goals in 22 games for the Gunners who finished just one point behind Chelsea in the league.
She is also in terrific recent form, netting nine goals across her last 10 games in all competitions.
That run includes four goals in one match for England against North Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier in April.
She was unexpectedly not picked for the Olympics by temporary England and Team GB manager Hege Riise last summer. But her place in this summer’s Euros squad has never been in doubt.
Leah Williamson
- Club: Arsenal
- Position: Defender/Midfielder
- Age: 25
Defender Leah Williamson will be hoping to lead England to European glory and ascend Wembley’s famous steps to the royal box, having taken over captaincy duty from Steph Houghton in April.
Capable of playing as both a defender and midfielder, the 25-year-old is Europe’s ultimate utility player.
Last season she scored three goals in 23 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal.
Williamson has represented England at Under 15, 17, 19, 20, 23 and senior level. Despite being one of the younger members of Sarina Wiegman’s squad, she is undoubtedly one of the team's most experienced with vast leadership quality.
Since her debut in 2014, she has helped Arsenal to one league, two FA Cup and two WSL Cup titles. And Williamson will be hoping to add a European Championship trophy to her SheBelives Cup and Arnold Clark Cup wins with England this summer?
