Michelle Agyemang is the Lionesses' joker in the pack: Sarina Wiegman must use Arsenal teen more at Euro 2025 as England seek to bounce back from disastrous France defeat

Those tuning into England's Euros opener could be forgiven if Agyemang's name was not familiar to them as she appeared off the bench to try and turn things around. After all, her journey to playing at a senior major tournament while still only a teenager has been quite remarkable.

It was just three months ago that the Arsenal academy product made her Lionesses debut, and that itself only came about due to injuries in the squad. Indeed, all of Chloe Kelly, Lauren James and Alessia Russo had pulled out after the first of two games against Belgium in the April international window, forcing Wiegman to call upon an entirely new option.

Agyemang certainly made the most of her opportunity. Entering the game with England trailing 3-1 at Den Dreef, it took her 41 seconds to halve the deficit with a stunning volley that played a huge role in her muscling her way into the Lionesses' Euro 2025 squad at the last minute.

But despite that goal and her somewhat surprising involvement in this summer's tournament, having been picked ahead of the experienced Nikita Parris, who had been involved in every England camp in 2025 until Wiegman confirmed her list for the trip to Switzerland, Agyemang didn't add to her sole cap in any of the three games that followed that defeat in Belgium.

When the Lionesses comfortably beat Portugal at Wembley at the end of May, some might've expected the teenager to get a runout in the second half, given the scoreline read 5-0 at the break. She didn't. When they travelled to Spain a few days later to take on the world champions, it was a little more understandable than Agyemang was an unused sub again. But her lack of involvement in England's send-off friendly, another comfortable rout against Jamaica, raised eyebrows, especially given the striker was going to Euro 2025 instead of playing a key role at the Under-19 Euros.

So was she actually going to play?

On Saturday, though, Agyemang finally got her long-awaited second cap. It came in similar circumstances to her debut, with England trailing and in desperate need of something else in attack, and while it seemed like four minutes of normal time was hardly going to be enough for her to make an impact, she had a noticeable influence.

Thrown into an impromptu front two with Russo, Agyemang made her presence felt in the box, offering an aerial option when the long ball was necessary and had a shot blocked in a promising situation. She was never going to change the game at that point, with so little time to do so, but she showed - once again - how she can be effective and why, perhaps, Wiegman should've turned to her much sooner than she did.

For those who have tracked Agyemang's progress over the years, her rise might be a slight surprise given the sudden nature of it, but not because she doesn't deserve to be where she is. A prolific goal-scorer in the England youth teams, the striker enjoyed a fruitful loan spell with Watford in the second-tier until injuries hampered her, and she spent last season experiencing regular Women's Super League football for the first time, in a temporary stint at Brighton.

Dario Vidosic, the Seagulls' boss, initially used Agyemang more as a substitute than a starter, but that was more to do with her being an 18-year-old who was still getting to grips with one of the best leagues in the world. He was under no illusions when it came to her talent, saying after she made her England bow: "She's got a beautiful strike, she knows how to hit a ball, she's dangerous, she possesses a lot of weapons and she'll be, no doubt, a household name sooner rather than later. I'm sure there'll be a lot of kids wearing her jerseys in the not too distant future."

Earlier this year, when GOAL asked Agyemang what she wanted to get from her loan at Brighton, the teenager picked out a few things. Scoring goals was a big one, of course, but then she pointed to "technically and tactically being more aware of what to do" and having "versatility". "Because sometimes the picture presents something different to what we've had in a team talk," she explained.

Perhaps that goes some way to explaining why, at Euro 2025, it feels like Agyemang is that player who gives England some versatility herself. She brings something entirely different to the table with her physicality, her instincts in the box and her fearlessness. As a natural No.9 who also played out wide in Vidosic's take on a 3-4-3 system at Brighton, the 19-year-old has also developed her game in different areas this past year. She can do a heck of a lot, and do it well.

Perhaps, too, Agyemang could be the key to unlocking a little more versatility in the England team. When she entered the pitch on Saturday, the Lionesses switched to a front two, something which they've not lined up with much since Wiegman's change to a 3-5-2 formation helped them reach the 2023 Women's World Cup final. It stayed beyond that tournament, but only until a disastrous defeat in the Netherlands a few months later, and has only been used once since, in an experimental line-up for a friendly against Switzerland at the end of last year.

Even if Wiegman doesn't opt to return to that shape, which would also mask a huge issue that continues to plague her team at left-back, Agyemang's different qualities as a No.9 make it an attractive in-game switch when a goal is needed, with it certainly helping to improve the threat in attack on Saturday. Indeed, eight of England's 12 shots came after the Arsenal teen came on, including both of their shots on target.

But the overriding takeaway from the final few minutes of that France defeat was that, as England prepare for a Netherlands clash that they simply cannot lose if they are to get out of the group, Agyemang is an option from the bench who can shake things up in an exciting and effective way in attack. The Lionesses have been crying out for impact subs in the last two years and, in this lively and hungry 19-year-old, they look to have found one.