SARINA WIEGMAN insists Leah Williamson is in a good place with the Arsenal star nearing her long-awaited England return.
And the Lionesses boss confirmed the centre-back, 27, would captain her side should she feature against Sweden on Friday evening.
England will face the World Cup semi-finalists at Wembley in their Women’s Euros qualifying opener.
The clash comes after 43-capped Williamson took part in a full-training session on Thursday after doing an individualised session on Tuesday.
Wiegman said: “We needed to manage her a little bit. She had a full training session on Wednesday.
“She’s still building but she’s in a good place and ready.
“It’s really good that she’s back, first of all for herself, because she’s so excited to come back.
“And that means she’s fit so it’s good to have another quality player in the squad.”
Williamson, who last played for the Lionesses last April before being sidelined by a serious knee, is among eight England aces who played in the Conti Cup final on Sunday.
The match saw Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 before ending with an angry exchange between Blues chief Emma Hayes and Gunners boss Jonas Eidevall.
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A touchline spat occurred between the rival WSL bosses following a throw-in dispute involving Eidevall and Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert.
It was preceded by the Blues wanting to use a multi-ball system despite initially opting for a single ball usage.
And it was followed by Hayes shoving the Gunners gaffer shortly after the final whistle.
On Wednesday the FA confirmed they will not be taking action against either bosses with Hayes accusing Eidevall of “male aggression”.
Wiegman, 54 said: “It (the Conti Cup) was a great final, very competitive, so that emotion goes up.
“I haven’t been there in that situation so of course I do not want to comment on that one day before we go into our most important game.
On if she has concerns about the touchline behaviour of managers, Wiegman added: “In general – not just in this specific situation but in general – we are an example as coaches for everyone who’s watching, but also in society.
“We’re being watched a lot and it’s good to have good behaviours.
“But I just don’t want to continue talking about this. We have such an important game.
“We are playing Sweden and that’s what I want to focus on, that’s my main job right now.”
England will be without the services of goalkeeper Khiara Keating with the Manchester City starlet, 19, withdrawing from the squad due to the knee.
Keating’s departure has led to Wiegman calling up Southampton shot stopper Kayla Rendell.
The Women’s Championship ace, who was voted Saints player of the season last term, has made four appearances for England’s Under-23s.
And in a post shared via social media she described her first senior call-up as a “proud moment” for herself and her family.
Following their friendly defeats of Austria and Italy in February, Wiegman wants England to lay down the gauntlet for their rivals in the Women’s Euros qualifiers.
A clash with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin next Tuesday will following their duel with Sweden.
And Wiegman insists her side have put the disappointing end to last year’s Women’s Nations League fixtures to bed.
She said: “We’ve passed by that disappointment now because we went on a camp in February, and we played two games.
“The team really showed this is who we are, this is how we want to play and really showed there was so much energy.
“But they were friendlies, although we didn’t really approach them as friendlies.
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“It gave us an opportunity to play many players, to see where we’re at as individuals but also as a team.
“But now, it’s for qualifiers. So yes, it’s absolutely an opportunity for us to show again what we can do.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
