Lauren James, Michelle Agyemang and the biggest winners and losers from England's Euro 2025 squad announcement as Sarina Wiegman moves on from shock Lionesses retirements

Let's address the elephant in the room first, as Thursday's squad announcement was the conclusion of what has been a long and arduous week for England and, specifically, Wiegman. The Lionesses boss has had her management style criticised in the wake of a flurry of shocking announcements, starting with Earps' international retirement, continuing through Kirby following suit and concluding with Bright's withdrawal from selection for this summer's tournament.

Wiegman did not, then, have the full player pool to choose from for this squad. For starters, she's had to pick a goalkeeping unit that lacks experience, as Hampton is the only one of the three who is even capped, and she's never played at a major tournament. Wiegman has also lost the best-performing English centre-back of this past season, in Bright, while the combination of Chelsea captain's absence and that of Earps means the Lionesses will be without two key leaders and big personalities in the dressing room - two players who have worn the armband for their country, no less.

Throw in the doubts over Lauren James' fitness and Wiegman has certainly not been able to pick this squad in the best of circumstances. Of course, it is still going to be one of the best and deepest at Euro 2025, but is it good enough to win the whole thing? We'll find out soon enough.

James' inclusion in this squad doesn't tell us too much. A mercurial talent who can change a game with the drop of the shoulder and a swing of either foot, it always felt like Wiegman was going to give the Chelsea star every chance to be fit for this tournament - whether she features from the start of it or is able to come in and contribute at a later date.

However, what it does say is that James remains on the right track when it comes to her recovery from a hamstring injury. If there was no chance of her returning to play a part at the Euros, then one would assume Wiegman would have left her out, as replacing James in the squad if she has to withdraw will not be entirely straight-forward. After all, she's not just someone who can shine as a winger, but also as a No.10. As such, her absence would impact both positions as well as the composition and balance of the squad.

For now, the hope remains that none of that will have to be considered and James is still well in the mix to be involved in the tournament in Switzerland. That's great news for her and her country.

Of all the players who had the hear the heart-breaking news that they wouldn't be going to the Euros, Parris is one of those most will feel for in particular. Despite being part of the England squad which became European champions, the veteran forward was forced into the international wilderness only a few months later, with her entering 2025 having not been involved since November 2022.

Then, in February, she was suddenly back. Amid a terrific first season at Brighton, Parris earned her Lionesses return for the first camp of the year - then was involved again in April and in May. She's been in every squad Wiegman has named in 2025 - except the one for this summer's Euros.

In truth, it's not a huge shock. The 31-year-old hasn't done anything to stake a significant claim for a place when she has got on the pitch, whereas those also in competition for the forward spots have. Her experience, wonderful character and the fact Wiegman knows she can play the squad role well, having done so in 2022, were all reasons to believe Parris could still make the cut but, in the end, she was one of the unfortunate ones to fall the other side of it.

Ironically, a big reason why Parris isn't on the plane is because Agyemang, who has spoken glowingly of the 31-year-old's guidance during their time together at Brighton this season, is. The Arsenal academy prospect spent this past year on loan with the Seagulls and learned a lot from not only Parris but also Kirby, who also hasn't made the cut.

Soaking up their words of wisdom like a sponge, the 19-year-old impressed enough in her first Women's Super League season to earn a call-up in April, after Alessia Russo had to withdraw from the England squad due to injury. Two days later, she was making her Lionesses debut - and 41 seconds into that, she had scored her first senior international goal.

There was a lot of debate about whether or not Agyemang would get this call-up. After all, the Under-19s Euros kick-off later this month and the teenager might have been better suited to playing a starring role with the Young Lionesses instead. But Wiegman has decided that she will also benefit massively from being around the senior team as they bid to defend their European title, and she knows full well that the talented forward has the ability to make a difference from the bench as they do so.

England really don't have a lot of midfield options right now. In fact, it's hardly been a position of great depth throughout Wiegman's tenure, with only five named to her Euro 2022 squad and six to the 2023 Women's World Cup roster, with three of those chosen getting either no minutes or very few. However, when Missy Bo Kearns came off the bench against Spain on Tuesday for her international debut, it felt like a potential hint that the England boss wanted to expand the pool in this area, albeit at the last minute.

It was a mixed night for Kearns, who was thrown right in the deep end against the best midfield trio in the world - of Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas - but it will ultimately be one she remembers for a long time, as the game that gave her her first cap. It likely also gave her some hope ahead of Thursday's squad announcement, especially with Georgia Stanway only recently back from a long injury lay-off.

However, Wiegman has put serious faith in Stanway by sticking with the five midfielders many believed she would take. The Bayern Munich star will likely be the understudy for Keira Walsh in the holding role, as no one else has experience playing there, as well as being a key starter herself in the No.8.

Kearns will hope she can kick on from a milestone week when the Lionesses are back from the Euros, but she will unfortunately be watching from afar as they commence their European title defence.

Lotte Wubben-Moy has had an up-and-down time of things lately. Injuries plagued a 2024-25 season that saw her start just six league games, with her seemingly set to fall short in her bid to be in the England squad given those issues also impacted her selection for Lionesses duty throughout the campaign. However, Bright's withdrawal from contention paved the way for her to be involved, concluding a monumental six weeks or so for the defender.

In late April, Wubben-Moy put pen to paper on a new contract with Arsenal, her childhood club, continuing a special journey that began 10 years ago. Four weeks later, she lifted the Champions League title with the Gunners, helping them to overcome the odds by beating Barcelona to win the trophy for the first time in 18 years. Now, she's set to go to the Euros with England again, having also been included when the Lionesses triumphed in 2022. What a remarkable conclusion to a frustrating season it has been.