England's Squad Changes Ahead of Spain Match
England’s preparations for Spain at Wembley have taken an early hit, but they have also opened the door for another rising talent.
Freya Godfrey, one of the brightest young forwards in the domestic game this season, has been forced to withdraw from Sarina Wiegman’s squad with a shoulder injury. The 20-year-old, who left Arsenal permanently in the summer to join London City Lionesses, has been rewarded for her form with places in each of Wiegman’s last three squads. Her debut felt close. Now it goes on hold.
Godfrey will return to her club for treatment, her wait for a first senior cap stretching into the summer at least. For a player who has pushed her way into the senior conversation and stayed there, it is a brutal pause.
In her place comes another 20-year-old with a rapidly rising profile: Keira Barry.
Barry’s fast track to the Lionesses
Barry has been highly regarded inside England’s youth system for years, a forward groomed at Manchester United for a decade before deciding in February that the pathway to regular first-team minutes simply wasn’t there. She ripped up the script, crossed the Atlantic and signed for NWSL expansion side Bay FC.
It has not taken her long to justify the leap. Under former England youth coach Emma Coates, Barry has hit the ground running in the United States, already on the scoresheet in a recent win over North Carolina Courage. That impact, combined with her long-standing reputation in the national set-up, has now carried her straight into a first senior England call-up.
Barry had been due to join the Under-23s this month. That plan is gone, and with it another opportunity emerges for a different young forward. Vivienne Lia steps into the Under-23 squad instead, another name making waves abroad.
On loan at Hammarby from Arsenal, Lia has started the Damallsvenskan season in style, registering a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over Rosengard on the opening weekend. England’s depth in attacking talent is not just a theory; it is playing out across leagues and continents.
Charles back in from the cold
Wiegman’s latest update was not only about youth. It also contained a recall that felt inevitable once the minutes started to build: Niamh Charles is back.
The Chelsea defender, capped 31 times by England, has only just emerged from three months out with an ankle injury. She eased herself back into club action at the end of March, playing 17 minutes in Chelsea’s wild 4-3 win over Aston Villa, then added another half-hour against Arsenal a few days later.
On Monday, she went a step further, starting for the first time since December and impressing in the Blues’ FA Cup victory over Tottenham. That performance, and the steady increase in game time, tipped the balance. When Wiegman named her original squad, Charles had barely kicked a ball. Now she returns as a full-back who looks ready to contribute again.
Eyes on Williamson and Mead
The hope inside the England camp is that Godfrey’s withdrawal remains the only enforced change. That hope, though, comes with a nervous glance towards north London.
Leah Williamson has missed Arsenal’s last five matches with a hamstring problem, a worrying run for a player whose presence and leadership remain central to England’s identity. Beth Mead, meanwhile, limped off during Arsenal’s defeat to Brighton at the weekend, raising fresh concerns over her availability.
Tuesday’s update brought no new bad news on either front. For fans, that silence offers a sliver of encouragement. For Wiegman, it simply means the waiting game continues.
There is still a week to go before England walk out at Wembley to face Spain and open this April international window. Between now and then, scans, training sessions and late fitness tests will decide how strong a hand the Lionesses can play against the world champions.
