England WU19s squad for double header

Written by:

Beth McHugh

Young Lionesses will take on France and Norway in Alicante

A 24-strong England women’s under-19s squad will travel to Spain for the first two fixtures of 2024 as they take part in the La Nucia tournament in Alicante.

The Young Lionesses will face France on Saturday 24 February (3pm GMT) at the Camilo Cano Sports City and then take on Norway on Tuesday 27 February (1pm GMT) at Meliá Villaitana Hotel.

Interim WU19s head coach John Griffiths will take charge of the warm weather camp, which will form part of the preparation for the second round of UEFA EURO qualifying, with matches against Italy, Switzerland and Portugal in April.

The winners of that qualifying tournament will secure their place in this summer’s finals in Lithuania in July.

Griffiths said: “I’m excited to once again have the opportunity to lead our under 19s side in what will be an important camp to set us up for another big year ahead.

John Griffiths is relishing the chance to work with the WU19s once again

“Having the chance to test ourselves against two quality European opponents in France and Norway is ideal preparation as we look ahead to the second round of EURO qualifiers in April.”

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Eve Annets (Reading), Katie Cox (Chelsea), Hannah Poulter (University of Southern California)

Defenders: Brooke Aspin (Chelsea/Bristol City), Ria Bose (Chelsea), Cerys Brown (Chelsea/Watford), Megan Collett (Southampton)*, Lois Marley-Paraskevas (Manchester City), Lucy Newell (Manchester United/West Bromwich Albion), Mackenzie Smith (North Carolina State University), Mari Ward (Bristol City)

Midfielders: Ashanti Akpan (Chelsea), Araya Dennis (Tottenham Hotspur/Crystal Palace), Maddy Earl (Arsenal), Vivienne Lia (Arsenal), Lily Murphy (Manchester City/Stoke City), Alexia Potter (Chelsea/Crystal Palace)

Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal/Watford), Ava Baker (Leicester City)*, Mia Enderby (Liverpool), Georgia Mullett (Aston Villa), Poppy Pritchard (Manchester City), Katy Watson (Sunderland), Louanne Worsey (Birmingham City/Nottingham Forest)

* Replace Freya Godfrey (Arsenal/Charlton Athletic) and Katie Reid (Arsenal/Watford) who have withdrawn

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