(Reuters) – England forward Chloe Kelly and midfielder Fran Kirby will miss next month’s World Cup qualifiers due to injuries, the Football Association said on Wednesday as manager Sarina Wiegman named her first squad since winning the European Championship.
Kelly scored the winning goal in extra time as England defeated Germany 2-1 in the Euro final last month, securing their first major trophy in front of a record home record.
The European champions are due to play away to Austria on Sept. 3 and host Luxembourg three days later in the World Cup qualifiers.
England need a point against Austria or, failing that, a win over Luxembourg to confirm their place in the 2023 World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.
“It only feels like yesterday since we were celebrating at Wembley, but we have to get straight back to business,” Wiegman said.
“We have a big target in front of us this month to book our place at the World Cup, and we have to set aside our amazing memories of this summer for the moment.”
All-time top goalscorer Ellen White and midfielder Jill Scott are the other notable absentees in England’s squad after they announced their retirement this week.
Katie Zelem and fit-again Jordan Nobbs are both included in the squad, while there were also call-ups for Lauren James, Ebony Salmon and Sandy MacIver.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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