Alessia Russo's unwanted England absence gives Sarina Wiegman rare chance to develop a striker Plan B for Euro 2025 - but replacing one of the Lionesses' most important players won't be easy

Since Ellen White’s retirement after Euro 2022, Russo has been almost ever-present in the England attack. The Lionesses have played 40 games in that time, with Russo starting 30 of them. She was unavailable for three of those other games, and just three of the 10 were competitive matches, too. It’s worth noting that most of her non-starts came during the time when Rachel Daly was still an international player as well, with Wiegman able to give the Arsenal star a rest by rotating in a proper back-up No.9.

Daly retired in April of last year, though, and that has coincided with a period in which Russo has been even more heavily involved. Her only two games on the bench since the start of 2024 were friendlies at the end of last year, with Naz leading the line against South Africa before Beever-Jones and Jess Park started as a front two against Switzerland. Those were England’s lower-ranked opponents of the final two international breaks of 2024, when Wiegman experimented a little more. Against Germany and the U.S, Russo was the No.9.

These regular starts mean Russo’s performances in an England shirt feel like they’ve gone up a level in recent months. Her connections with those around her have become stronger and that has helped her grow as a goal-threat, with Friday’s display against Belgium a timely reminder of as much.

However, the negative side of that is that her absence hits England harder. Beever-Jones has just one start for the Lionesses, Naz has one as a No.9 for her country, Parris hasn’t been part of an England line-up since November 2022 and Agyemang is uncapped. Unlike when Daly was still around, there’s not a seamless replacement for Russo right now.

That all said, the good news is that there are at least options for Wiegman to look at. That was not the case when Daly announced her shock retirement last year. At that time, Parris was well out of the England picture and neither Naz or Beever-Jones had yet to receive a formal senior call-up. Instead, it was players like Hemp and Chloe Kelly, both injured at this moment, who would adapt to a central role to be next up in the pecking order.

Wiegman has steadily built up greater depth in the No.9 role in the 12 months since, which certainly helps. As a result, she has her pick of options for Tuesday’s game against Belgium - but her selection for this match should not just be treated as a stop-gap in Russo’s short-term absence. No, it should be thought about carefully, as it could be the only time before the Euros that someone other than the Arsenal forward starts in the No.9 role.

That's perhaps the silver lining in Russo's injury, that it forces Wiegman to give another player a shot when she probably otherwise wouldn't. That's not a dig at the England boss but rather the reality of the situation. The Lionesses are in a very tough Nations League group with world champions Spain, a Portugal side that held them to a draw in February and a Belgium team that beat them the last time they travelled to Leuven.

These matches have an impact on World Cup qualifying and the seeding each team will earn. England were burned by that in the previous edition of the Nations League. Finishing second in their group meant they were not in Pot 1 for the Euro 2025 draw and that contributed to them ending up in a brutal group with France, the Netherlands and Wales.

Plus, the Lionesses will have ambitions to be triumphant in the Nations League altogether, as well as a desire to win as many games as possible going into this summer's Euros, to build the momentum and confidence ahead of their title defence. It’s understandable that Wiegman has been going full-strength in each game, meaning Russo has started all three so far.

Tuesday, though, is an opportunity to develop the back-up plan if Russo was to miss any games at the Euros. It's an important one, too, as only once have any of Parris, Beever-Jones, Naz or Agyemang started as a centre forward in the Lionesses’ usual system and approach. Parris’ last England start was as a winger two and a half years ago, Beever-Jones’ only one came in a front two back in December, while Agyemang has yet to debut.

Naz is the only one to start as the Lionesses’ No.9 recently, in the 2-1 win over South Africa in October. However, she was only called up to this squad after Lauren James’ withdrawal on Saturday. Wiegman said her omission from the initial list was due to the “high competition” for places. “Jess has been struggling a little bit with her form,” she explained.

So, who does Wiegman opt to grant this rare opportunity to start instead of Russo in a competitive game? Does she turn to the experience of someone like Parris, who could fill Daly's shoes in a way? Does she opt for the promising talent of Beever-Jones, especially after she scored off the bench on Friday? Does she bank on Naz being able to rediscover some form to get firmly back into the England picture before the summer? Or does she give Agyemang her first taste of senior international football in a huge moment?

One other potential option is a change in formation, especially after both Kelly and James dropped out of the squad as well. When England faced a back three in December against Switzerland, Wiegman opted to match that defensive set-up with a return to the 3-5-2 that helped the Lionesses reach the World Cup final. "We want to be adaptable to what we have in front of us and also how we want to play," she explained.

If she was to do that in Leuven, it would not only give the opposition a different and still dangerous challenge so soon after their last match, but it would tap into the many options at centre forward while somewhat covering up the lack thereof in the wide areas. It would also give Wiegman a look at a potential solution to their left-back issue.

Yet, that would be to kick the can down the road at centre forward. If Russo was to be absent for some reason at this summer's Euros, be it for one game or more, what would England do? Tuesday is a great, and rare, opportunity for Wiegman to play into that unwanted hypothetical and assess her back-up plan in a competitive situation.