ENGLAND had Ellen White back in training today ahead of their final Euros warm-up match against Switzerland.
White, the Lionesses’ 50-goal record scorer, missed last Friday’s 5-1 victory over the Netherlands at Elland Road having tested positive for coronavirus.
The Manchester City striker has subsequently made the trip to Switzerland, who England play in Zurich tomorrow evening before opening the home Euros by taking on Austria at Old Trafford next Wednesday.
And boss Sarina Wiegman told a press conference regarding White: “She’s good. It took a while, so we’re glad she’s back, she’s very happy too.
“She’ll start on the pitch today and hopefully we can build her up again and get her ready for the Euros.
“Maybe one or two days she took it easy, and then she could train by herself, she got a programme. She’s in shape.”
Asked if White would be able to play tomorrow, Wiegman said: “I don’t know yet. Let’s first start and see how she is on the training pitch and start up. She hasn’t been in training for a week now, so we don’t take any risks.”
North-Easterner Lucy Bronze will sit out tomorrow’s clash after feeling unwell – the FA said she was returning to England as a precautionary measure, adding: “The defender has tested negative for Covid and will continue to be monitored by medical staff in the coming days.”
The Switzerland contest will be England’s third warm-up fixture, having beaten Belgium 3-0 at Molineux before last week thumping the Netherlands, who Wiegman guided to Euro 2017 glory.
The Dutchwoman said: “There has been some research from other tournaments that when you go away and come back, that helps.
“I think in this situation we’re in, we’ve been at St George’s Park for a while, very good pitch, we were treated very well, but then it’s good to get in another environment, come here, get some freshness, have a good game tomorrow and then come back and get really ready and into the atmosphere of the Euros.
“I think we’re in a very good place, and we just have to show good football and do our best. We know we can make an impact in England, we can give England’s football a big boost, and that is what we really want to do.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here