Why Hannah Hampton's injury is a blessing in disguise for Lionesses' inexperienced goalkeepers

England are missing a lot of key names for their final international camp of 2025. Captain Leah Williamson remains sidelined, making the absences of both Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter all the more notable in a depleted centre-back unit, while Lauren James remains out of the squad having only just returned from injury at Chelsea. Perhaps the most significant bit of team news, though, concerns Hannah Hampton, who could miss the rest of the year with a quad issue.

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  Deja vu

  It's only two years ago that England were in a similar situation to this. At that time, Mary Earps was the Lionesses No.1 and, because of the fortunes of her fellow goalkeepers, she was more important to her national team than ever before.

  Hampton had just joined Chelsea and wasn't playing, Ellie Roebuck found herself completely out of favour at Manchester City, and Sandy MacIver had switched allegiances to Scotland. Emily Ramsey, too, was rotating in and out of the Everton line-up, meaning Earps was the only one of the five goalkeepers Wiegman had called up in the previous 12 months who was actually first-choice at club level. On top of that, Roebuck had 11 caps to Earps' 43, with Hampton on two and Keating yet to debut.

  Things are slightly different this time around, mainly because Anna Moorhouse, who went to Euro 2025, is playing week-in week-out for the Orlando Pride, one of the best teams in the United States. But Keating, who earned her first call-up two years ago after usurping Roebuck to be City's No.1, hasn't played a league game since mid-September while Baggaley is operating as the cup goalkeeper at Brighton behind Nigeria star Chiamaka Nnadozie. Of those three, only Keating has a cap, having debuted last month.

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  Important decisions

  Things would improve after Wiegman called the goalkeeper situation "a little bit complicated" in October 2023, because Hampton began to make her charge for the starting role at Chelsea and, at the same time, Wiegman began to give her opportunities at international level. She had to give someone the experience, anyway, because England were 18 months out from a major tournament with a massive discrepancy in caps between their shot-stoppers, especially given Roebuck would soon be out of action entirely having suffered a type of stroke.

  Hampton played a friendly in February 2024, then she played a Euros qualifier in Ireland in April, making her the first goalkeeper other than Earps to start a competitive game for England since Roebuck played against Luxembourg in September 2022. These would prove to be important decisions by Wiegman, because when Earps picked up an injury mere seconds into a Euro 2025 qualifier against France in May, her back-up now had some exposure to the big stage. 

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  Opportunities needed

  Again, the situation is slightly different this time around because even at the time of that game against Ireland in April, Wiegman said that Hampton was "growing into competition with Mary". Right now, it's very clear that Hampton is England's undisputed No.1. However, the fact remains that if something was to happen to the Chelsea star in a big moment, like it did to Earps in that qualifier against France, her understudy wouldn't be particularly well-prepared.

  Keating has played one international friendly and, as a 21-year-old who has split starting duties at City in the last two seasons, is still lacking in experience at club level. Moorhouse and Baggaley, meanwhile, both have plenty of reps with clubs but have yet to be capped for their country. As a group, they lack experience of the big stages England play on and also of playing behind most of the Lionesses' defensive personnel.

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  Opportunity knocks

  That's why Hampton's absence this week is something of a blessing in disguise. Of course, that doesn't make it ideal, especially because England are missing so many of their experienced centre-backs. To then have to throw in an inexperienced goalkeeper only adds to the lack of solidity in the spine of this team. That could give the Lionesses a shaky platform to build on in games where they will have particular learning aims.

  However, Wiegman likely would've rested Hampton in at least one of these friendlies and now she will be forced to operate without her in both, meaning there could be the chance to give out multiple opportunities to this inexperienced goalkeeping unit. As the events of 2024 prove, doing so is important for the long-term.

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  Ideal timing

  In the New Year, England will begin their qualifying campaign for the 2027 Women's World Cup. It means that the Lionesses will be playing competitive matches for the majority of 2026, particularly if they cannot complete the very tricky task of pipping Spain to top spot in their group. Finish second and they will have to go through the play-off rounds this time next year, meaning more competitive, do-or-die matches.

  England can address some of the chinks in their armour in those games. Despite their Euro 2025 triumph, there are a lot of small issues to look at, such as the continued search for a dependable option at left-back, the lack of depth in the deeper midfield roles and the questions around who really is Lucy Bronze's understudy. Wiegman will be able to look at these in certain games while also trying to win and qualify as quickly as possible for the World Cup.

  Growing the experience at the goalkeeper position, though, is much more suited to friendlies - at least at first - and these two games this week could be England's last non-competitive fixtures for quite a while. It's the perfect opportunity, then, to see what Keating, Moorhouse and/or Baggaley can do.

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  Best preparations necessary

  Following Earps' shock retirement, one of the biggest concerns anyone associated with the Lionesses had going into the summer's Euros surrounded the need for Hampton, England's only capped goalkeeper, to be available throughout. That is not the sort of situation Wiegman will want to be in again in 2027. Hampton’s understudy will want to feel prepared and ready for the moment if called upon, and all involved with the team will want them to be in that mindset as well.

  In that sense, this week feels like a really important one. Hampton is a world-class shot-stopper who will likely be vital to England's chances of enjoying success in Brazil in two years' time. But it would be reckless for the Lionesses to go into another tournament with such an inexperienced cohort backing her up, especially when they have time and opportunities to address that problem, starting on Saturday at Wembley when China are the visitors.