Lionesses squad announcement: England coach recalls Aston Villa stopper and Man City defender

England head coach Sarina Wiegman has named her final Lionesses squad before the World Cup as England gear up for the forthcoming Finalissima and international fixture with Australia next month.

There are few surprises within the camp, though Aston Villa goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been given a reprieve after missing out on recent international squads as she she takes her place in the team alongside another three goalkeepers. She replaces Everton’s goalkeeper Emily Ramsey who misses out with injury.

Manchester City defender Esme Morgan is also restored to the squad alongside West Ham defender Lucy Parker, who will be hoping to pick up her first international cap after she was forced to withdraw from the last squad owing to injury.

Dropping out from February’s squad alongside Emily Ramsey are Arsenal’s Lotte Wubben-Moy, Manchester United’s Katie Zelem and Houston DEbony Salmon.

Wiegman said: “We are getting closer to the World Cup and I can’t think of two better games to assess our progress. After these games, there will be less than three months until we fly to the tournament and we must make every second on and off the pitch count.

“For us as a technical staff this will be the last chance to see the players within our England environment before we come together for the final preparation phase in June. And these two matches will be two real tests to see where we are at.

“This is a major new trophy and to compete for it at a sold-out Wembley is anotherspecial moment, both for us as a team but also for our fans. We will never take theseoccasions for granted and I want to see how we perform against two teams that will be hoping to challenge for the World Cup.”

In total, Wiegman has called up 25 players for the showpiece match at Wembley Stadium against the reigning champions of South America on Thursday 6 April (7.45pm BST) and a second prestigious fixture against 2023 FIFA World Cup hosts Australia.

England Lionesses Squad in full

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Sandy MacIver (Manchester City), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City) Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa)

Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Leah Williamson (c) (Arsenal), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Lucy Parker (West Ham United) Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United)

Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal)

Forwards: Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Jess Park (On loan at Everton), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Katie Robinson (Brighton)