Canada head coach Bev Priestman says that she is excited to see West Ham United forward Adriana Leon return to the squad for next month’s camp.
The 28-year-old attacker missed the April camp after undergoing surgery on a broken foot but will be part of the Canada squad which will face the Czech Republic and Brazil in international friendlies next month.
Leon had been carrying her injury for months before finally learning the news that her foot was broken. That injury has undoubtedly impacted her performances this season and national team boss Priestman is excited to see what the player can do now that she is on the road to recovery.
“Adriana is still a bit of an unknown in the sense that she hasn’t been in a full-fledged team setting,” Priestman told FAWSL Full-Time after announcing her latest squad. “She hasn’t played but I know that she has been working extremely hard in her return to play.
“I am excited to see where Adriana comes in. To push back to this point was a big ask so it’s going to be a case of seeing where Adriana is at and seeing what is achievable in this June window.
“You know a little bit more when you get with the players but we’ve got a meeting to map out what June can look like for Adriana. I do know that she has been on the pitch and we will see where she’s at when she comes in.”
Leon is one of 28 players selected by Priestman as she looks to make a final assessment of her squad before cutting it down to 18 players for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Canada boss says that places are still very much up for grabs for her final selection.
She added “June camp will be quite telling and it will be a critical piece for me in helping me decide the roster because that will happen pretty quickly after the June camp.
“I’d have to say that in the back-line, the midfield-line and in the forward-line there are shirts up for grabs. I don’t have 18 ‘dead certs’ on this sheet.
“I’m interested to see at this camp who turns up ready because that will answer questions for me.”
Canada take on Poland on Friday 11 June before facing Brazil three days later. Both games will be played on neutral territory in Spain.
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