Former captain Steph Houghton was left out of England’s Euro 2022 squad, when coach Sarina Wiegman named her 23 players for the tournament on Wednesday in London.
Houghton had Achilles surgery in February, forcing her to miss the second half of Manchester City’s season.
The 34-year-old has 121 England appearances under his belt, including five major tournaments.
“It was a difficult decision to make. She simply isn’t prepared to compete. It was simply an issue of time, and we don’t have it “Wiegman stated.
“She’s a major player who has had a significant impact on the English game. She was, of course, extremely dissatisfied.”
Leah Williamson of Arsenal has taken over as captain from Houghton, and she heads a group that is a mix of youth and experience from the World Cup semi-finals three years ago.
For the first time, nine members of the squad will compete in a major competition.
“We all realise this is a great opportunity that we have to seize with both hands,” Wiegman said, noting that she has won the Euro with home advantage before, having led her native Netherlands to victory five years ago.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to represent your country on such a grand scale on home turf. So far, this squad has shown that they are willing to offer everything they have in every training session, meeting, and game.”
Sandy MacIver, Niamh Charles, Lucy Staniforth, and Katie Zelem were also removed from the provisional roster of 28, but injuries can still force changes until June 26.
Fran Kirby of Chelsea has been called up despite not playing since February owing to exhaustion, and Jill Scott has been picked up for her 10th major event despite having fitness issues in recent months.
