Leah Williamson named England captain following Steph Houghton injury | OneFootball

Arsenal’s Leah Williamson will serve as England captain for this evening’s international match. The Lionesses will take on North Macedonia in the first 2023 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture.

The defender will lead her team out at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium. This match marks the first of Sarina Wiegman’s reign since signing last year.

Williamson has been made captain following the withdrawal of Steph Houghton through injury.

The Manchester City and England skipper suffered an ankle injury in the final training session ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. Houghton will now return to her club for further assessment on the severity of the issue.

“First and foremost we would like to wish Steph a speedy recovery and hope to see her back fit soon,” Wiegman said.

“This is also an exciting opportunity for Leah Williamson to wear the captain’s armband at senior level for the first time and I look forward to seeing her in action.

“We hope to see as many of our fans as possible at this evening’s match as we get our World Cup campaign underway.”

Williamson, 24, takes on the captaincy three years after making her senior debut against Russia. The versatile defender has since been capped 20 times for England and represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics.

The match will kick off at 19:00 BST and broadcast live on ITV 4.

MORE from Her Football Hub: