Man Utd's Maya Le Tissier should be the heir to Lucy Bronze's right-back throne for the Lionesses - so why was she dropped from the England squad?

The latest criticism of Bronze was sparked by a costly error at Wembley last Friday night, when she failed to check her shoulder and Barcelona team-mate Fridolina Rolfo was able to sneak in, undetected, to net a goal that gave Sweden a point in the opening round of 2025 Women's Euro qualifiers.

But the questions around her level have been lingering for at least the last 12 months. Part of that is because of the incredibly high standards she has set, with her having laid claim to being the best full-back in the game for a long time, but defensive lapses have started to creep in, most notably in last year's World Cup final but also in the Champions League final with Barcelona.

Of course, that's not to say Bronze is suddenly a terrible player. As well as providing huge experience and top level know-how, she can still be an asset for the Lionesses and the positives she brings to the table are why Wiegman continues to select her. But it is also because if the coach did want to take her out of the firing line, she is very limited when it comes to replacements.

In England's April squad, Wiegman's other options at right-back were Esme Morgan, Niamh Charles and Jess Carter. Morgan can play any position in the back line, but hasn't started a game for Manchester City since November, while her most recent start for England was actually in the heart of defence. Charles, naturally a winger or an attacking midfielder, has become the go-to left-back for Chelsea and, in turn, England, while Carter has primarily played as a centre-back for the Blues in recent times. None are obvious right-back options, then.

Meanwhile, Le Tissier, who can play on the right or in the centre, wasn't included in the 23 at all. "The competition in the back is really high, with Leah [Williamson] coming back and finding balance with players who can play as a full-back as well as players who can play centre-back, or to see what's necessary,” Wiegman explained. “What do we need maybe in a scenario when we want to sub? And then we came out that Maya lost the competition on her position."

The overriding issue for Wiegman appears to be that Le Tissier is a right-back in her thinking, but is exclusively playing as a centre-back at United. She revealed as much last May when explaining the 21-year-old's shock absence from her World Cup squad. “We see her more as a right-back," the coach said. "At club, she plays as a centre-back. She has had a very good season, but this is the choice we made."

Le Tissier came through as a central option but moved out to the right at Brighton during her third season at the club. "Her athleticism, her levels of fitness, I think really suit that role," manager Hope Powell explained, and she was right.

"Maya, as an 18-year-old, I don't feel like I'm playing with a kid,” Brighton defender Victoria Williams noted at the time. “I think she's kind of advanced beyond her years in terms of her positional awareness [and] the professional attitude she has. I think Brighton are very fortunate to have her and I personally believe she has a very promising career ahead of her at club and England level."

It was a switch that went down well with Le Tissier, too. "I can see myself playing right-back," she told BBC Radio Guernsey. "I've got the strength that a right-back needs and the manager has seen the strength that I can bring and can transfer well into that position, so she's trusted me and I've been playing there and I think I've been doing quite well."

She even noted Bronze as someone for her to learn from and actually surpass. "You need to look at the best players that play in those positions and try to use bits of their game and put it into your game. You always want to be better than them, so I want to be better than Lucy Bronze. I don't just want to be as good as Lucy Bronze."

Sadly, Le Tissier isn't getting the chance to try and be better than her now-England team-mate in that role anymore, though. After leaving Brighton for Manchester United in the summer of 2022, she's been shifted back to the heart of defence. That is despite there being situations where her versatility could've helped the Red Devils, especially this season when injuries have made the club lighter in the full-back areas.

The best example was United’s trip to the Emirates Stadium in February. Absences meant head coach Marc Skinner deployed Gemma Evans at left-back against Arsenal, while switching Hannah Blundell from that role to the right flank. That was despite Evans arguably being better at centre-back than she is at full-back, Le Tissier being capable of filling in on the right and that leaving Blundell on the left, to stifle the threat of Beth Mead.

In the end, Arsenal were comfortable 3-1 winners, and Evans was actually hooked at half-time because of how much she struggled to contain Mead. When GOAL asked Skinner after the match if a little rejig, including moving Le Tissier to right-back, might have given United better match-ups, he replied: "There is that, of course, but the reality is that when Maya is central, her composure and ability to switch play is much more dangerous."

And that is the club vs country problem here. Le Tissier's regular role at centre-back makes total sense to United. She's done brilliantly there, she's formed a great partnership with fellow England international Millie Turner and her ball-playing abilities help the Red Devils a lot in their build-up play.

What is perhaps odd, though, is that Wiegman is so reluctant to switch Le Tissier to right-back for England when it really matters. After all, she has done well there in opportunities in friendlies, even as recently as February against Austria.

There are lots of examples of players being deployed in different positions for the Lionesses too, as opposed to those which they occupy at club level. Just on Tuesday, Wiegman played Carter at left-back despite her rarely playing there for Chelsea anymore. Yet, Le Tissier appears unable to make any real in-roads when it comes to competing with Bronze for her place.

Ultimately, there is nothing Le Tissier can do about the situation. She's been playing well at centre-back for a long time now and that has translated to some chances with England, which she has hardly disgraced herself in. She can't suddenly demand to play at right-back in Manchester for the good of her international career. United have a fantastic player in that position already too, in Jayde Riviere, so it would make no sense for Skinner to switch things up, especially with Le Tissier so instrumental, and excellent, centrally.

But England are suffering from the fact that Wiegman seems to be waiting for a change on that front and as Bronze, now 32 years old, enters the tail end of her career, the need for a successor is only going to become more and more necessary. Yet, the heir to her throne appears nowhere near as obvious as the Lionesses would hope it to be.