Lucia Kendall speaks on first senior call-up

Lionesses and Aston Villa midfielder Lucia Kendall described her shock at receiving her first call-up from Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman.

The 21 year old was named in Wiegman’s squad for England’s upcoming internationals against Brazil and Australia last week, marking her first involvement with the senior squad.

“I was just at home, watching TV and I missed the call,” she recalled. “I got a text saying it was Sarina so I called her back. She told me I was getting called up. I was shocked – it was a real surprise.

“Obviously, moving to Villa this summer and moving to the WSL was a big thing for me. I’ve gone there because I think Villa is a great club and with the intention of hopefully if I could put in some good performances and get into the team and play regularly, maybe I could get a look in towards the end of the season, so I really didn’t expect it at all.

“Everyone’s on their own timeline. This has all happened so quickly. I’ve just taken everything in my stride, I think.”

Kendall, who clocked over 100 appearances for her former club Southampton, follows in the footsteps of some of her ex-Saints team-mates, including Ella Morris, who was named in her first senior squad in May this year before being forced to withdraw through injury.

“We played together for a long time,” said Kendall. “I think three of us from Saints have come through the academy and got called up – Kayla Rendell as well.

“It’s quite special to be part of a group and have Southampton to thank for a lot of that. They’ve played a massive part in my journey.”

The Winchester-born youngster has represented her country at youth level, turning out for the Young Lionesses and making her debut for the England women’s under-23s in October 2023.

And she has since received messages of support from WU23s boss Emma Coates and assistant Gemma Davies.

“Emma and Gemma text me and reached out to say good luck,” she explained.

“They’ve been really supportive of my journey. I’ve had Emma from under-19s and then into under-23s, so they’ve both been really good with me and just said, ‘go and enjoy yourself’.

“I came through the under-15s, all the way through to the under-23s. Under-23s has definitely prepared me. It’s quite similar to the way the seniors work, so it’s been quite a smooth transition for me. The experiences and playing against top international teams on camp has definitely stood me in good stead.

“I know a few of the girls from under-23s. Even throughout the age groups, I’ve played a lot with Khi [Khiara Keating], Laura [Blindkilde Brown] and Aggie [Beever-Jones], and Bo [Missy Bo Kearns] at club.”

The Lionesses take on Brazil at the Etihad on Saturday 25 October (5.30pm BST kick-off) to kick off their Homecoming Series before facing Australia on Tuesday 28 October (7pm GMT kick-off) at Derby County’s Pride Park.

“I’m excited to get on the pitch today and start the prep for the two games,” she said.

“I think it’s really exciting, playing two teams that aren’t in Europe and teams you don’t tend to play. Two very different styles of play as well. It’ll be exciting just to be in and around the squad.”

And coming into the squad on the back of the Lionesses’ UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 triumph in Switzerland in the summer, Kendall expressed her excitement at playing alongside the European champions.

“It’s kind of crazy,” added Kendall. “The environment is full of world-class players and seeing how they work and them on the pitch and just learning as much as possible.

“I want to come in here and show what I’m about but also, this group has just won back-to-back EUROs, so there’s so much for me to learn. I’m just someone that wants to learn and get better.”