England Women head coach Mark Sampson has named his squad for the final two home matches ahead of UEFA Women’s Euro 2017.
Birmingham City’s Jess Carter and Manchester City’s Mel Lawley have received senior call-ups for the first time. The pair have impressed at youth level and both represented England at the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup in 2014.
Elsewhere there are returns to the squad for Liverpool defender Alex Greenwood following injury, Birmingham City goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley and Chelsea’s Hannah Blundell.
Karen Bardsley, Jo Potter and Alex Scott will miss the games through injury.
The Lionesses will face Italy at Port Vale’s Vale Park on Friday 7 April (7.45pm KO) and Austria at MK Dons’ Stadium MK on Monday 10 April (7.45pm KO).
England will play Scotland in their opening Group D game in the Euros, in Utrecht on 19 July, followed by Spain in Breda on 23 July and Portugal in Tilburg on 27 July.
Sampson said: “We’re pleased to welcome Jess and Mel into the senior set-up. They, along with Hannah and Sophie have been in and around the seniors and have benefitted from their experience with the Next Gen squad.
“They have also been regulars for their clubs and it’s a great opportunity to learn from a Euros squad and what it takes to be an England senior player.
“These games are really important for us in our preparation for the Euros. We are looking forward to playing in front of our supporters and hopefully getting two good results on our road to the Netherlands.”
Carter said: “I feel really honoured to have earned my first senior call-up. I’m excited to train and be in and around the players and working in such a professional environment.
“It will be really interesting to compete with them and see what I need to do to become a senior player.”
Lawley added: “I’ve played in the youth teams and come through the system and one of my biggest dreams was to play for the seniors, so I am honoured to have been picked.
“The call-up has given me a boost in confidence and motivation to continue to work hard this season.”
Tickets for England’s April internationals are still available priced £7.50 for adults and £3.50 for children. A family ticket (two adults and two children) is available at £15 and group booking discounts apply.
Tickets can be bought viawww.TheFA.com/Tickets. Tickets for England v Italy are also available via 01782 655821, for England v Austria by calling 0333 200 5343 and in person at each club’s box office.
For more information please visitwww.TheFA.com/England.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Sophie Baggaley (Birmingham City), Siobhan Chamberlain (Liverpool), Carly Telford (Notts County)
Defenders: Laura Bassett (Notts County), Hannah Blundell (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Jessica Carter (Birmingham City), Alex Greenwood (Liverpool), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Casey Stoney (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Isobel Christiansen (Manchester City), Jade Moore (Notts County), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Arsenal)
Forwards: Karen Carney (Chelsea), Toni Duggan (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Mel Lawley (Manchester City), Nikita Parris (Manchester City), Jodie Taylor (Arsenal), Ellen White (Birmingham City).