Revealed: Mary Earps' meeting with Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman which led to England star announcing shock international retirement

Earps announced her shock international retirement on Tuesday, less than six weeks before England's European title defence is set to begin in Switzerland. The Paris Saint-Germain star has fallen slightly behind Hannah Hampton in the pecking order, starting just one Lionesses game in 2025, and reports suggest that played a part in her decision.

According to The Telegraph, Earps was called into a meeting with head coach Sarina Wiegman and was told she would be England's second-choice goalkeeper at Euro 2025, behind Hampton. The report says that the 32-year-old responded by saying "she would retire rather than be back-up". Wiegman then "accepted her resignation with immediate effect".

Speaking in the official announcement of the news, the Lionesses boss said: "I had hoped that Mary would play an important role within the squad this summer, so of course I am disappointed. Mary has been clear on her reasons why she has made the decision and it is something we need to accept."

That "important role" no doubt relates to the nurturing of some of the younger talent in the England squad, including Hampton. The 24-year-old will be a starting goalkeeper at a major tournament for the first time this summer and none of the Lionesses' other options for the position even have a cap to their name, meaning Earps' experience would be invaluable.

Meanwhile, The Guardian has reported that Earps has actually had discussions with Wiegman about this retirement from international duty "for 12 to 18 months", even telling her during the April camp that she was going to retire. The coach asked her to reconsider.

When Earps told Wiegman on Monday that this was her decision, The Telegraph reported that it "angered" the Dutchwoman, particularly due to the timing of the news.

The result is that England will have to go to this summer's Euros without an experienced goalkeeper who played a crucial part in them winning this title three years ago. It will be up to Hampton to step up and follow in her footsteps strongly, with the uncapped duo of Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating fighting to be her back-up, as things stand.

Before that, the Lionesses are back in Nations League action this week, facing Portugal on Friday before a trip to Spain to take on the world champions on Tuesday. Those will be their final competitive matches before the Euros, though a friendly against Jamaica is lined up for late June.