Lauren Hemp Undergoes Knee Surgery, Misses England Friendlies

Manchester City attacker Lauren Hemp underwent an operation for a knee injury, which will prevent her from participating in England’s forthcoming friendly matches against the United States and Switzerland. This season, Hemp has generated the highest number of chances and provided the most assists in the Women’s Super League. Hemp was absent from City’s previous two fixtures, including their 2-0 loss to title contenders Chelsea on Saturday. However, the club has not disclosed the specific type of injury or her expected recovery period. Sarina Wiegman, the manager for England, verified that the injury was not an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) issue. When questioned about the severity of the injury, Wiegman informed BBC Sport: “No, I think if that was the case Manchester City would have communicated that. That’s not the case.” Wiegman added: “She was in such a good place and was playing so well, so it’s of course disappointing. “On the other hand, I would say it’s better that if something happens it’s now rather than in the spring, and she can be back to her level again. “I always think it’s disappointing but it gives other players opportunities to show themselves and play.” The 24-year-old Hemp has emerged as one of the top performers in the Women’s Super League this season, having netted two goals and provided five assists across seven appearances. Additionally, Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone, aged 25, will be unavailable for England due to a calf injury. She was absent from United’s 2-0 win against Leicester on Sunday, marking the first occasion in 96 league matches that she did not feature in the starting lineup. United manager Marc Skinner stated: “Ella picked up an injury in training the day before the Leicester game. She took a calf injury in a small, bottled session,” adding, “She will definitely miss the [next] two games [with United], she will miss the international window and we will then see if she is back after that.” Wiegman is facing multiple injury worries. Chelsea players Lauren James and Niamh Charles were absent from October’s friendly loss to Germany and victory against South Africa due to injuries and have yet to rejoin the squad. Aston Villa defender Lucy Parker is also sidelined for “several weeks” following an ankle injury sustained earlier this month. Consequently, Manchester City midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown and Leicester City’s Ruby Mace, both advancing from the Under-23s, have received their initial senior international call-ups. Manchester United defender Gabby George has been included in the squad for the first time since November 2022. Concurrently, Manchester City winger Chloe Kelly maintains her position in the squad, even though she has consistently faced challenges in securing playing time. Wiegman commented: “It’s a hard situation. Competition is high at Manchester City. We have to look at what’s available in our squad.” Wiegman also praised Emma Hayes’ initial period coaching Team USA, stating she “She’s done an amazing job”. The Lionesses are scheduled to play Emma Hayes’ USA team at Wembley Stadium on 30 November (17:20 GMT), followed by a match against Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland in Sheffield on 3 December (19:45 GMT). England’s most recent encounter with the USA occurred in October 2022, resulting in a 2-1 victory with goals scored by Hemp and Georgia Stanway. These friendly matches serve as a prelude to the commencement of Euro 2025, where Wiegman’s team will aim to retain their European title in Switzerland from 2-27 July. Wiegman expressed her anticipation: “I’m very excited, of course. [The USA are] number one in the world, gold medallists at the Olympics and I get to see Emma [Hayes] again,” adding, “We collaborated until last summer when she was coaching Chelsea. It will be good to see her, play against her and for the first time be competing against each other.” During their previous international camp, England experienced a defeat against Germany but secured a win over South Africa. The two most recent friendly fixtures against Germany and South Africa were considered underwhelming from England’s viewpoint, leading to criticism regarding their displays. Wiegman commented that accepting the heightened expectation levels after their Euro 2022 triumph is “part of the job,” and England must discover methods to manage this. Wiegman explained: “The main thing that we always need to remember is that we know what we’re working on. In the last camp – and in this camp too – we don’t need to be fully ready now,” continuing, “We don’t have to get clarity on everything because we are having friendlies, experimenting and we won’t get everything right. We just want to see growth.” She further elaborated: “Of course that might influence our performance on the pitch. Every game we play we absolutely want to win. “I understand the criticism, but we as players and staff need to know what we’re working on and trying out. We know where we want to go to, so need to stay tight in our circle. “If you are going to listen to everyone’s opinion outside… well, they don’t have the full context of everything. We know exactly what we’re working on.” The complete squad list is as follows: **Goalkeepers:** Mary Earps (Paris St-Germain), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride) **Defenders:** Mille Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Gabby George (Manchester United), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal) **Midfielders:** Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Ruby Mace (Leicester City) **Forwards:** Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Naz (Tottenham Hotspur), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)