England vs Belgium: Lauren James ruled out of Nations League double-header with concussion | OneFootball

Dom Smith

has been ruled out of England’s double-header against Belgium after suffering a concussion.

Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman confirmed on Thursday that James would miss both Nations League fixtures.

England play Belgium in Leicester on Friday and then travel for the return fixture in Leuven on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, not everyone is fit”, Wiegman said. “Lauren James is not ready. She won’t be ready for Tuesday either.

Lauren James will play no part for England against Belgium in the Nations League

The FA via Getty Images

“Not [anything] to worry about. She picked up concussion. We have to be very careful to follow the protocols — we always do. So that’s really too short [a recovery time] for the two upcoming games.”

Wiegman added: “Lotte [Wubben-Moy] is on the pitch, you saw that the other day. We’ll assess her today and hopefully she gets through alright. Everyone else is good.”

Meanwhile, England goalkeeper Mary Earps addressed her recent social media post, in which she called it “hurtful” that some supporters criticise female footballers when they do not sign autographs or stop for photos with young fans.

Earps said: “The accessibility that people get to us as players is a hot topic at the moment. We love to interact with the fans, but it’s becoming really difficult to keep everybody happy.

“We are so grateful that thousands and thousands of people want to come and meet us and talk to us, but the reality is that if that is the expectation, we are always going to fall short.

“The emphasis on it needs to switch now. We are subjected to a lot of comments, and it’s an addition to the game that we don’t need. We are doing our best.”