Leah Williamson injury update provided by Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman as one England player forced to withdraw from squad ahead of World Cup qualifier against Iceland

Williamson has struggled with her fitness throughout the season. She came into it recovering from a knee issue that was sustained during England's triumphant European Championship campaign, meaning her first appearance for Arsenal this term didn't come until mid-December. In January, she picked up a calf strain that sidelined her for another month and then, just as she was building some momentum, Williamson sustained a hamstring problem which means it is more than four weeks since she last played for club or country.

Despite that, Wiegman called the England captain up for this month's camp, as she had returned to training with Arsenal but had just not got back out on the pitch in a match yet. However, Williamson was unable to make the squad for Tuesday's clash with Spain at Wembley, watching from the sidelines as her team beat the world champions 1-0 in a massive game in this World Cup qualifying campaign.

"She's going in the right direction, this was just a little bit too early. We don't want to take a massive risk with her," Wiegman told ITV of her skipper's absence, speaking before the match. In her post-match press preference, the England boss added that she didn't think it was "a smart thing" to progress the defender into a game of "the highest level" at this point. "But she's a very good place and we hope she's available for us on Saturday," she concluded.

Speaking on Friday, ahead of the game in Iceland, Wiegman confirmed that Williamson is "fit" but was coy on whether the defender will play. "She will train and the final decision we always make after the session," the England boss added. The good news, though, is that Williamson is still in the camp and still around the team, suggesting that she is indeed in a good enough place to potentially be in contention to play in Reykjavik on Saturday.

The same cannot be said, unfortunately, of Keira Barry, who had to withdraw from the squad on Friday. The 20-year-old forward has enjoyed a great start to life in the United States, having left Manchester United for Bay FC in February, and was brought into the England senior squad for the first time as a result, as a replacement for injured London City Lionesses winger Freya Godfrey. However, speaking in Friday's press conference, Wiegman confirmed that Barry had now returned to her club due to an ankle problem.

Williamson's fitness is not just important for England. Arsenal have some huge games coming up, including a two-legged Champions League semi-final against Lyon as they continue their European title defence. The Gunners also have a backlog of Women's Super League fixtures to contend with, meaning they are essentially playing every three days now until the end of the season. To have Williamson back would not only be big in terms of Arsenal trying to achieve their goals in the Women's Champions League and WSL, given her quality, but also in terms of numbers as Gunners boss Renee Slegers looks to keep her team fresh through the final few weeks of the campaign.

From an England perspective, though, Wiegman will be feeling positive about how a new centre-back partnership of Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan played against Spain in Williamson's absence, keeping a clean sheet against the world champions. Seeing that faith in the pair being repaid so well is good ahead of the clash with Iceland, with there certainly not as much impetus on getting Williamson back out on the pitch in a hurry when it's known that the squad is capable of coping without her, thus allowing her to manage her recovery in the best possible way.

The Lionesses will hope to take plenty of confidence from that win over Spain into Saturday's game against Iceland, as the European champions look to maintain their place at the top of their World Cup qualifying group. Only the group winners will reach next summer's tournament automatically, with victory over Iceland all the more imperative given England's next game will be the away fixture against Spain, in June.