'I'm hopeful' - Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman optimistic as Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood & Georgia Stanway all look to recover from knee surgeries to make Euro 2025 squad

The Lionesses trio have all had knee surgeries in recent months, with Hemp's coming in November, Greenwood's in December and Stanway's at the end of January. With England's European title defence set to begin in early July, it is only natural that some fans are concerned about the fitness of these three key players ahead of this summer's tournament.

Stanway's absence in particular highlights a lack of depth in the deeper midfield roles, with the Bayern Munich star a real stalwart in the middle alongside Keira Walsh. There is a lot of competition for the No.10 position in front of that duo, but not so much in their own spots.

Asked about the three absentees when revealing her squad for England's February fixtures, Wiegman said: "They'll be out for a while. Of course, you're always concerned when someone is injured. I think they're all in a good place at the moment but it will take a little longer, and I just hope the recovery goes really well and they get some minutes later on, and are fresh and fit and show the performances."

Asked if she is hopeful that Stanway, whose surgery was only at the end of January, will be fit or if she is a real doubt for the summer, Wiegman replied: "I'm hopeful. Georgia has a plan and she's really committed and very motivated to be back. She had surgery. That went well. I spoke to her and she's in a good place now. Of course, it's first about her health and then coming back, but she knows where she wants to go to, where she wants to be at a certain moment. Let's hope that goes that way."

Grace Clinton, the Manchester United starlet, is one player Wiegman has used in Stanway's box-to-box role before and the England boss reiterated on Tuesday that she believes the 21-year-old can excel there. Laura Blindkilde Brown, who won her first camp in December, is another versatile option who has operated in a deeper midfield role for Manchester City this season.

For now, England will be without Hemp, Greenwood and Stanway as their Nations League campaign begins later this month. The Lionesses first travel to Portugal to take on Francisco Neto's side on February 21, before welcoming Spain, the world champions, to Wembley on February 26.