Sarina Wiegman has added to England’s injury woes by confirming Fran Kirby and Lotte Wubben-Moy are both unavailable for the friendly against Germany.

The news comes less than a week after Chelsea forward Lauren James was forced to withdraw from the Lionesses squad after picking up a calf injury.

There was already uncertainty around whether Wubben-Moy would be ready for England’s first friendly after a concussion forced her to miss Arsenal’s Women’s Super League match against West Ham and the Champions League win over Valerenga.

Speaking to the press ahead of England’s game, Wiegman remained positive about the defender’s recovery, confirming she was in “full training”, but that concussion protocol means she cannot play.

However, it was the update on Kirby’s absence from the squad that was the surprise. The forward has had an impressive start since joining Brighton & Hove Albion this summer from Chelsea, playing in every one of their WSL fixtures and scoring twice.

Wiegman said the 31-year-old wanted to be available “so badly”, but that her consistent playing had seen her suffer an injury.

“She [Kirby] needs minutes,” she revealed. “Hopefully she gets fit quick and starts playing again and then the competition is all up.”

England are gearing up to play four international friendlies over the next few months ahead of the Euro 2025 tournament next summer. They will come up against Germany and the USWNT at Wembley Stadium, as well as South Africa and Switzerland.

Although Kirby won’t make Wiegman’s starting XI on Friday, the manager hinted at a possible return against South Africa, claiming her team were “trying to get her ready”.

Elsewhere, James was forced to withdraw from the England squad after picking up a calf injury ahead of Chelsea’s derby against Tottenham. She was originally named in Sonia Bompastor’s squad, but had to pull out at the last minute.

When asked about the impact of James’ absence for the upcoming fixtures, Wiegman explained: “It would be nice for her to be fit. She’s a very talented player but unfortunately she’s injured.

“She’s worked on her recovery and she’s in a great environment. As soon as she gets fit and is back at her level, she’ll get to play minutes. She shows such quality.”

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