England head coach Sarina Wiegman says that Beth Mead must build consistency with Arsenal before receiving an international recall.
The forward made a cameo appearance for The Gunners in their 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. It was the player’s first appearance since being sidelined for nine months with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.
Despite being back to fitness, Mead has been omitted from Wiegman’s latest England squad selection for this month’s UEFA Women’s Nations League double-header against Belgium. Wiegman says that the forward must build consistency in her performances at club before being considered for international duty.
“To be honest, she was not close (to selection),” Wiegman said when speaking in an England press conference. “She is in a good place now but has been out for nine months.
“She had her first minutes (at the weekend) which was nice to see but she first has to build at club, get that consistency back and then we have an opportunity to select her.”
Belgium are an opponent that England have faced regularly in recent years but Wiegman is expecting something a little different from The Red Flames this time around.
She said “Everything is open after the September games (in the UEFA Women’s Nations League). That’s exciting, you want competitive games and for it to be close.
“Belgium did well and were well-organised. They have a little bit of a different shape, it’s a team that doesn’t necessarily want to (control) the game. They are tough to beat defensively, it will be hard for us.”
England will face Belgium at The King Power Stadium in Leicester on Friday 27 October 2023 before travelling to Leuven for the reverse fixture on Tuesday 31 October 2023.
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