Friday felt like a huge day for England’s chances of success at this summer’s European Championship. The Lionesses went into that evening’s game against Portugal with three names available for selection for the first time in months, relieving some of the injury concerns that have plagued their build-up to a tournament at which they will be defending champions – and all three were able to play some part in the impressive 6-0 thrashing of a usually sturdy opponent.
You could make a compelling case for each being the most important returnee. Alex Greenwood, after all, is a world-class defender who comes back into the fold while Millie Bright is taking an extended period of recovery due to being, in her own words, “mentally and physically” at her “limits”. Sarina Wiegman is hopeful that Bright will be back before the Euros but, at this point, nothing is certain. Georgia Stanway, meanwhile, is essentially a guaranteed starter for England when she is fit, with her importance to the team accentuated by a lack of true depth in the box-to-box midfield role.
But stealing the show of the three on Friday was the one starter among them: Lauren Hemp. Playing just under an hour in her first Lionesses appearance for seven months, the winger was absolutely electric in the first half in particular, reminding everyone that she is an elite game-changer as England head into a tournament that will see them having to beat some of the world’s best from the get-go.
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