Back in the squad! Ellie Roebuck receives first Lionesses call-up since 2023 after stroke left her fearing she'd never play football again

Roebuck was a backup goalkeepr in the England squad that achieved European Championship success in 2022 and reached the World Cup final in Australia in 2023. England fell to a penalty shootout defeat to Spain two-and-a-half years ago, but six months after the showdown with La Roja, Roebuck suffered a stroke that she said should have left her blind.

"I'm lucky because I should have lost my vision," Roebuck told BBC Sportin February. "I should have lost my peripheral vision for sure. The majority of people that suffer a stroke [like mine] do that. So, I probably should have been blind, which is quite a miracle that that didn't happen."

Having been struck in the back of the head with a ball in training with Manchester City, the 26-year-old was treated for a concussion but further tests revealed that Roebuck had actually suffered a stroke.

"I knew it wasn't concussion," she said. "I've had concussion. I just knew something wasn't right. I said 'for my peace of mind I need a head scan, something is not right and I know it'."

Having been called back in by the club doctor, Roebuck added: "It filled me with panic, but I never had in my mind that it was a stroke. He sat me down and was like, 'you've had an infarct in your left occipital lobe'. I asked 'what's that in English?' And then he said it was a type of stroke."

The diagnosis came at the worst possible time for Roebuck, who two weeks previously had formalised her City exit having signed a pre-contract with Barcelona. "I was sat in A&E with all the people on a Thursday night that'd been out drinking," Roebuck added. "They'd come in with their cuts and bruises and I was just sat there [thinking] 'what is happening?' And then I got taken to the stroke ward which was something that I'd never really want to remember.

"You're in there with people that I thought were 'normal people' to have strokes - older people. It was just a crazy experience." Roebuck also added: "The nurses said you can't carry shopping for six weeks. You can't do any exercise. I thought, 'I'm a professional footballer, I can't do that'."

After a year in Spain, Roebuck went on to sign for Aston Villa coming into 2025-26, though has made only two appearances for the Villans in the WSL this season due to Sabrina D'Angelo's solid status as No. 1. Even so, with Hannah Hampton already not part of the squad through injury, England have confirmed that Roebuck has returned to the England setup, replacing Manchester City's Khiara Keating, who was forced to withdraw due to "a small groin injury" suffered in training.

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Keating's withdrawal from the England squad not only paved the way for Roebuck to return to the Lionesses squad, but means Anna Moorhouse is now line to make her England debut against China.

Moorhouse received her first call up in July 2024, but found herself behind Keating, the retired Mary Earps and the currently injured Hampton in the pecking order over the past 17 months. The 30-year-old didn't play a single minute as England successfully defended their Euros crown in Switzerland.

However, as next in line, Orlando Pride's Moorhouse is tipped to start at Wembley, while Roebuck will hope to feature in some capacity in the coming days following her return to the setup. Brighton's uncapped Sophie Baggaley is the other goalkeeper in the squad named by Sarina Wiegman.

After their upcoming friendlies against China and Ghana, the former of which was originally intended to mark a special farewell to Mary Earps, England are not in action again until March, when they kick off the 2027 World Cup qualifiers. The Lionesses begin their qualification campaign against Ukraine before they welcome Iceland in their Group 3 clash.

England and Spain then renew rivalries in April when the Lionesses face off against La Roja at Wembley as the duo battle to secure automatic qualification to Brazil 2027.