England Women: Fran Kirby and Chloe Kelly named in squad for Nations League matches against Belgium

Fran Kirby has earned a recall into the latest England Women squad, while Chloe Kelly has also been included for the upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Kirby has played in 12 WSL matches for Brighton this season and was last selected for the Lionesses in December 2024. However, she had to pull out of the camp due to injury.

Kelly, on loan at Arsenal from Manchester City, was not named in Sarina Wiegman's initial squad for the February internationals but came in to replace the injured Beth Mead.

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Both Arsenal forwards have been named in the 25-player squad for the April matches, with Wiegman saying of the pair: "They are totally different wing players. They bring something different which helps the team. We have opportunities up front which we can use to harm opponents.

"It's important you get in the rhythm, what we want is Chloe shows her qualities because that will help the team. You can tell she's enjoying it now."

When asked about Kirby, the England boss added: "She brings lots of experience and good football vision. On her position there's a lot of competition going on, but she knows exactly what's expected. You can see at Brighton what she brings."

Manchester City stopper Khiara Keating also returned to the squad as one of four goalkeepers, while Tottenham's Jess Naz has been left out.

Brighton's Maisie Symonds earns her first senior call-up after impressing for England's U23s and Lucy Parker is also in the squad from the start after replacing Lotte Wubben-Moy in the previous camp.

The Lionesses remain without key players like Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway through injury.

England will face Belgium in Group A3 in both games of the upcoming international break. They play at Ashton Gate on Friday April 4 before the away fixture on Tuesday April 8.

The Lionesses drew 1-1 with Portugal in their Nations League opener in February before beating Spain 1-0 at Wembley. They currently sit second in their group behind Portugal.

April's camp is the penultimate chance for Wiegman to assess her players before choosing her squad for this summer's Euros in Switzerland, where England will look to defend their title.

"This camp will give us a lot of information about where players stand," the Lionesses head coach said. "We also have some injuries and hopefully those come back in a good period of time to see where they are at.

"I can't be specific on the injuries. They [Hemp, Stanway and Greenwood] have all been out for a while. I can tell you my hopes, which is that they are back and ready to play in the short term, to get ready for the Euros."

Wiegman: We want better pitches

Wiegman also had her say on the recent examples of poor quality playing surfaces, which has once again raised the issue of standards in the women's game.

Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid led to criticism, with some pointing out that given it was being played during the men's international break, the match could have been held in the Bernabeu.

The Women's League Cup final also had a poor playing surface as Chelsea beat Man City at Derby's Pride Park.

Discussing the Real Madrid pitch, Wiegman said: "That was really disappointing. You would hope they would be playing in the Bernabeu.

"You want better pitches. It's a little bit dangerous too. We have to keep working on these things, players deserve to show their performances at the highest level and take away the risks of injury too."

Wiegman's winger conundrum

Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:

Assuming England's starting selection against Spain in February - when they beat the World Cup winners 1-0 - will be close to what Sarina Wiegman considers her best available XI, it's difficult to justify picking Chloe Kelly and Fran Kirby in the same squad for a major tournament. Jess Park and Lauren James played wide of Alessia Russo against Spain and offered plenty of creativity and threat.

This camp will therefore be a good gauge of the pecking order, remembering Beth Mead - the star of Euro 2022 - also plays in the same position. All options have merit and different qualities to consider, but not all will be able to feature in this summer's final squad because there simply isn't space for five wingers of similar profile.

Throw Lauren Hemp into the mix, currently sidelined with a knee issue, and competition in that position is rife. It's a nice problem for Wiegman to have but a problem all the same. Do England go with tried and tested or fully embrace this new era of young talent with the hope they are conditioned enough to compete on the biggest stage of all?

England Women squad in full

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (PSG), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Khiara Keating (Manchester City), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride).

Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham FC), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Lucy Parker (Aston Villa), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jess Park (Manchester City), Maisie Symonds (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Chelsea).

Forwards: Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal, on loan from Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Brighton & Hove Albion), Alessia Russo (Arsenal).

(c) Sky Sports 2025: England Women: Fran Kirby and Chloe Kelly named in squad for Nations League matches against Belgium