Why Sarina Wiegman has added new blood to her England squad ahead of Australia clash as defender earns late first senior Lionesses call-up - explained

Wiegman announced the news of Denton's arrival on camp in her press conference on Monday. The 22-year-old had initially been included in the Under-23s squad, which was beaten 5-0 by Germany on Thursday and will be out to bounce back when hosting Portugal on Monday evening. However, she has now moved across to the senior team for the first time, bumping the Lionesses' squad back up to 25 players, the number it stood at when it was announced before a flurry of withdrawals unfortunately followed.

Explaining the decision to call in Denton, Wiegman told reporters: "After the match on Saturday, we had some niggles. Things are going well, so everyone will be on the [training] pitch, but we are still also recovering and in the preparing stage for tomorrow. So, if things go well, then we have to make a decision for the [matchday squad]."

Asked if there are any players in particular that England are monitoring when it comes to those niggles, Wiegman was keen to play down any great concerns. "They're not big things to share, because when you're football players, there's small things," she responded. "I just didn't want to take any risk. We are still building some players too, which you've seen with Lucy Bronze and Niamh Charles."

After playing with a fractured tibia throughout Euro 2025, Bronze only returned to action at club level earlier this month and is yet to start a game since that tournament ended. Chelsea team-mate Charles, meanwhile, suffered an ankle injury at the end of September and has only played once since, racking up 56 minutes in the Blues' win over Tottenham on October 12.

Denton's inclusion makes sense given the name-checking of Bronze and Charles, as the West Ham defender can play both as a right-back and a left-back. Wiegman will be well aware of what the 22-year-old can bring to the table, too, given how well, and how often, she communicates with the youth national team staff.

Denton, an Arsenal academy product, has been capped all the way through the England youth teams, most notably representing the U19s at the Euros back in 2022. She spent some time in the United States, at the University of Louisville, and joined West Ham upon the ending of that chapter, having spent a short period on loan with the Hammers while still at Arsenal.

It's not been an easy season so far at club level for Denton, with West Ham losing all six of their Women's Super League fixtures to date. But the defender has been one of their better performers and is very highly rated by head coach Rehanne Skinner and her staff, so much so that she signed a new deal just this year which runs until the summer of 2028.

Denton arrives to bolster Wiegman's options in the full-back areas, then, which have never been plentiful. Maya Le Tissier, who plays at centre-back at club level, played at right-back on Saturday, with Bronze taking the baton from her just past the hour. There was a centre-back at left-back, too, as Alex Greenwood played the full 90 minutes in a position she started her career in but has played sparingly since.

Charles could play in the latter role against Australia on Tuesday, having not featured at all on Saturday, and there is another option in Taylor Hinds, the Arsenal left-back who won her first senior England call-up this month. Denton is now added to that list as she looks to become the latest in a long line of Lionesses to progress through what is a very productive England pathway.