'She understands' - Chloe Kelly's absence from Lionesses squad explained as England boss Sarina Wiegman stresses that Arsenal winger is still in contention for Euros

Kelly was left off the list when Wiegman's squad for England's February fixtures was announced on Tuesday, with the Lionesses set to take on Portugal and Spain in their first games of the new Women's Nations League campaign later this month.

That news came off the back of a tough few weeks for the forward. Having struggled for game time at Manchester City this season and not played for them since January 12, Kelly was linked with several clubs in the January transfer window, with a move clearly necessary if she was to make this summer's squad. She then released a statement opening up on the "disappointing" situation she found herself in, before securing a deadline day loan switch to Arsenal.

However, the Gunners' first two games after Kelly's arrival were against City, and the England winger couldn't play against her parent club, while their next fixture was in the FA Cup, which Kelly also couldn't feature in because she was cup-tied.

"She hasn't played enough, in my opinion," Wiegman said on Tuesday when asked about Kelly's absence from her squad. "She's moved clubs now but last autumn, she hardly played and, as I said, she built some credit. But over that time, she made so few minutes. That's first now. Get started at Arsenal, get some minutes in, start playing and showing what you're about, and then we can revisit that again.

"We had a good conversation yesterday and she understands. She's not out for the Euros. When she gets back, she's in full training, of course, hopefully she gets the minutes soon and she can show [what she can do] again, and then, as I said, we'll revisit it."

Asked about the statements Kelly released during the transfer window, including one in which she claimed City had "called reporters to assassinate my character", Wiegman added: "I think she was hurt, she was worried about her mental health. That's what her statement was. I don't have the full context but I'm just glad now that she had a move, which she mentioned was really good for her, and hopefully she can, as she said, get a smile on her face again and play football and show who she is as a footballer."

Having come through the Arsenal youth system and played a handful of first-team games as a teenager, Kelly could make her second debut for the club this weekend, when they face Tottenham in the north London derby. That will be her aim, too, as she looks to return to the England fold for their April fixtures.