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England Owner Sarina Wigman She stressed that she will always be “grateful” Millie Bright After the Chelsea defender announced his retirement from international football.
Wiegman will begin preparing for life without the former Lioness The captain – who was not included in his latest 25-player squad to face Brazil Australia This month – after taking off from national team duty on Monday.
The 32-year-old earned 88 caps during his England career and helped them to European Championship glory on home soil in 2022, before he captained his country to the World Cup final the following year.
Bright was not part of the squad that won Euro 2025 after opting out of the team to prioritize her physical and mental health.
Wiegman praised his former centre-back – speaking at the team announcement at St George’s Park – he said: “We had a chat at the back of the Euros and Millie told me she was retiring.
“She has been huge for us, for me, for the team, on and off the field. She has been a great personality and leader.
“I’m really grateful that I’ve been a small part of (her) journey and hopefully she’s grateful to be a part of my team because she had a massive impact.
“When a player takes a decision like that, it’s not fair to have that conversation (to convince him to stay). I completely accept it and respect it.”
It is the first time the teams will face each other since England became European champions for the second consecutive time this summer, following a 3-1 penalty shootout win over Spain in Switzerland.
Wiegman insisted it was good to celebrate their achievements but immediately turned their focus to qualifying for the World Cup in 2027.
He further added, “We celebrated a bit but then I took some time off.
“Then after two weeks you say, ‘Let’s start again’, and I quickly move on because World Cup qualifying is coming and we want to qualify.
“We won the Euros which was incredible and we will always cherish that.
“This is the first time you are coming together again. When you stand still you lose, the players know this and they know they have to improve every day, play well with their clubs.”
Wiegman gave first-time call-ups to Arsenal defensive pair Katie Reid and Taylor Hinds, along with Aston Villa’s Lucia Kendall, to play Brazil at the Etihad Stadium on 25 October, before traveling to Pride Park to face Australia three days later.
Wiegman said that Lucy Bronze and Grace Clinton will miss two full matches despite joining the team.
He said: “He (Reid) started playing for Arsenal this season, performed well along the way and it was exciting to see him in our environment.
“We’ve been following Taylor (Hinds) for a long time. He had a dual heritage so he qualifies for us. (He) hasn’t played that much but I want to see talented players in some positions.
“They (Bronze and Clinton) will miss two full games. Lucy is fit to play (against Brazil).”
“Grace will be evaluated, she had a minor injury and as she progresses, she may be available to us.”