New faces react to Lionesses call-ups

There are a group of new faces in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for this summer's EURO 2025 qualifiers.

Aggie Beever-Jones was included in the main squad for the first time, reward for her excellent finish to the domestic campaign with Chelsea, while Birmingham's Lucy Taylor, Missy Bo Kearns of Liverpool and Tottenham's Jessica Naz are on the standby list but have still joined the players at St George's Park.

Ahead of this week's crucial double-header with France, we caught up with all four players to find out how they received the news and what they're hoping to achieve this summer.

Aggie Beever-Jones said:

"Sarina called me and initially I thought it was going to be people telling me I need my windows changed, because they haven't stopped calling me for the past month! So I picked up – thinking 'leave me alone' – and then ended it originally because nobody was answering. The second time Sarina's face popped up on my phone and I realised I ought to answer properly. I was initially in quite a lot of shock. She just told me to let my feet do the talking and enjoy it. It's been brilliant so far, everybody is so welcoming. If I can make my debut this summer, brilliant, but my main focus is training well and showing everyone what I can do."

Lucy Thomas said:

"It's been a bit of a mad week because I was only called up a couple of days ago. It was Amy Merricks (Birmingham manager) who told me to start with and then Sarina called me shortly after that. I was definitely not expecting it. My mum was actually due to be coming to stay with me for a few days so I had to tell her what was happening but make sure she still comes as I need someone to look after my dog! She's looking after my dog for the next week and a half now. She was the first person I told the news and she was really happy.

It says something about the standard of the Championship that I have been selected and it also means my decision to stay at that level and play first-team football has paid off. I just want to learn as much as possible over the next few weeks, show the best of myself and hopefully give the coaches a reason to pick me again."

Missy Bo Kearns said:

"I was walking to the cinema with my boyfriend when I got the call. It was an unknown number and I didn't have a clue who it was so I ignored it at first. The second time I answered and it was Sarina. I was just staring at my boyfriend as she spoke and he was a bit confused. Normally I don't struggle for words but I just couldn't get the words out, I was so emotional and excited. I was planning to spend some time relaxing on holiday but this is far better, it's everything I wanted to achieve. I understand I'm on the standby list and it's a process but I want to develop and play my game. I'm here and ready if called upon."

Jessica Naz said:

"Sarina gave me the call. It was the day after we'd lost the FA Cup Final to Manchester United so it was quite a mad 24 hours. I was emotional, really sad about the defeat, and then I got a call saying I was on the standby list. When I initially broke through at Arsenal I remember Leah Williamson giving us a talk about how she's come through the age groups so it's quite surreal to be training alongside players like her now. This is a new opportunity for me to learn and a chance to show myself. This is the environment I want to be in."