England WU19s squad named for Algarve Cup trip

Written by:

Beth McHugh

The Young Lionesses travel to Portugal in October with head coach Lauren Smith naming her squad

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The Young Lionesses are back in action and will begin the 2024/25 season with two matches in the Algarve Cup in Portugal. Smith’s first match in charge of the WU19s will be against the Netherlands on Friday 25 October (1pm BST) before her side then take on Norway on Monday 28 October (1pm BST).

The fixtures will be important preparation for the Young Lionesses as they gear up for round one of qualification for next summer’s 2025 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, which is taking place in Poland in June. The first qualification phase will also be staged in Poland in November, with the WU19s set to face the hosts Poland, Italy and Turkey.

Lauren Smith said: “I’m really looking forward to my first international window as head coach of the England WU19s. There are so many talented players in the squad and I’m relishing the opportunity to get to work with them at this important stage of their development. We want to start the season strongly, knowing our end goal is to be amongst Europe’s best in next summer’s EURO finals. Playing two quality opponents in the shape of the Netherlands and Norway is the exact preparation we need as we look ahead to the qualifiers next month.”

Smith’s first match in charge of the WU19s will be against the Netherlands on Friday 25 October

England squad:

Goalkeepers: Eve Annets (Manchester City, on loan to Portsmouth), Sophia Poor (Aston Villa), Kaiya Jota (Stanford University)

Defenders: Araya Dennis (Tottenham Hotspur), Lucy Newell (Manchester United), Katie Reid (Arsenal), Ria Bose (Sporting CP), Scarlett Kagalwala (Chelsea), Mari Ward (Bristol City), Issy Hobson (Everton), Grace McEwen (Brighton & Hove, dual registered with Portsmouth), Sophie Harrison (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Vivienne Lia (Arsenal), Milly Round (Aston Villa), Alexia Potter (Chelsea, on loan to Crystal Palace), Maddy Earl (Arsenal, on loan to Bristol City), Lily Dent (Brighton & Hove, on loan to Portsmouth), Lily Murphy (Manchester City)

Forwards: Ruby-Rae Tucker (Aston Villa), Princess Ademiluyi (West Ham United, on loan to Charlton Athletic), Tia Young (Chelsea), Jessie Gale (Arsenal, dual registered with Watford), Mia Sorrentino (Aston Villa), Ava Baker (Birmingham City)