Leah Williamson: Sarina Wiegman confirms England defender ‘ready’ to return for Euro 2025 qualifier

England captain Leah Williamson is poised to play for her country for the first time in a year during their Euro 2025 qualifier against Sweden at Wembley on Friday.

Williamson suffered a serious knee injury in April 2023 and only returned to action for her club, Arsenal, in January.

After rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), Williamson was forced to miss last summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

She was set to return to the international scene in February, but withdrew from the squad with a hamstring problem.

Despite targeting the upcoming qualifiers with Sweden and the Republic of Ireland for her Lionesses comeback, there were fresh concerns over Williamson’s fitness after coming off at half-time in Arsenal’s League Cup final victory over Chelsea.

However, England manager Sarina Wiegman is positive that Williamson will finally be back in her side.

"She is in a good place and is ready," said Wiegman. "We needed to manage her a little bit. She had a full training session yesterday and will be on the pitch again today [Thursday].

"That is really good. She is still building but she is in a good place - if she comes through today, of course."

Wiegman has also been asked if Williamson will retain the armband when she takes to the pitch.

"If she plays, she's the captain," she added. "We just want to get through this training session and see how she is and how the team is."

In not such positive news for Wiegman, Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating has returned to her club after suffering a knee injury.

She has been replaced by Southampton's Kayla Rendell, who has been called up for the first time.

The qualifiers mark the start of England's defence as European champions after their dramatic tournament win in 2022.

Their group features France, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland with the top two teams automatically reaching next summer's tournament in Switzerland.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media