The Arsenal star has started 13 of her country's last 15 games – but injury means she won't be available to face Belgium on Tuesday
England’s Lionesses have had to deal with their fair share of injuries lately. Knee surgeries for all of Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Georgia Stanway have presented challenges for Sarina Wiegman and her side to overcome – with Greenwood and Stanway’s absences particularly problematic given the lack of depth at left-back and in central midfield. Alessia Russo’s withdrawal from this month’s squad, though, offers an undesirable glimpse into what would potentially be an even more concerning situation.
The Arsenal star impressed in Friday’s win over Belgium and was extremely unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after twice hitting the woodwork. Her movement was intelligent, her link-up play was brilliant and her hard work in the press helped the Lionesses consistently keep the pressure on in a 5-0 victory. However, an injury has forced Russo to pull out of the squad ahead of the rematch with Belgium on Tuesday, paving the way for a first senior call-up for talented teen Michelle Agyemang.
Agyemang joins Aggie Beever-Jones, Nikita Parris and Jess Naz as Wiegman’s options to lead the line in Leuven, something that Russo has done almost exclusively in recent times. Indeed, since the beginning of 2024, the 26-year-old has been England’s starting striker in 13 of their 15 games.
There is no news on the severity of Russo’s injury right now. Wiegman will hope that Tuesday is the only game Russo misses, with the Lionesses’ next fixtures not until late May and early June, and the Euros right around the corner from there. Still, this moment should serve as something of a wake-up call for England, whose contingency plan for any Russo absence is under-used, to say the least.
Getty ImagesEngland's No.9
Since Ellen White’s retirement after Euro 2022, Russo has been almost ever-present in the England attack. The Lionesses have played 40 games in that time, with Russo starting 30 of them. She was unavailable for three of those other games, and just three of the 10 were competitive matches, too. It’s worth noting that most of her non-starts came during the time when Rachel Daly was still an international player as well, with Wiegman able to give the Arsenal star a rest by rotating in a proper back-up No.9.
Daly retired in April of last year, though, and that has coincided with a period in which Russo has been even more heavily involved. Her only two games on the bench since the start of 2024 were friendlies at the end of last year, with Naz leading the line against South Africa before Beever-Jones and Jess Park started as a front two against Switzerland. Those were England’s lower-ranked opponents of the final two international breaks of 2024, when Wiegman experimented a little more. Against Germany and the U.S, Russo was the No.9.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportConsistent starter
These regular starts mean Russo’s performances in an England shirt feel like they’ve gone up a level in recent months. Her connections with those around her have become stronger and that has helped her grow as a goal-threat, with Friday’s display against Belgium a timely reminder of as much.
However, the negative side of that is that her absence hits England harder. Beever-Jones has just one start for the Lionesses, Naz has one as a No.9 for her country, Parris hasn’t been part of an England line-up since November 2022 and Agyemang is uncapped. Unlike when Daly was still around, there’s not a seamless replacement for Russo right now.
Getty ImagesMore depth
That all said, the good news is that there are at least options for Wiegman to look at. That was not the case when Daly announced her shock retirement last year. At that time, Parris was well out of the England picture and neither Naz or Beever-Jones had yet to receive a formal senior call-up. Instead, it was players like Hemp and Chloe Kelly, both injured at this moment, who would adapt to a central role to be next up in the pecking order.
Wiegman has steadily built up greater depth in the No.9 role in the 12 months since, which certainly helps. As a result, she has her pick of options for Tuesday’s game against Belgium – but her selection for this match should not just be treated as a stop-gap in Russo’s short-term absence. No, it should be thought about carefully, as it could be the only time before the Euros that someone other than the Arsenal forward starts in the No.9 role.
Getty Images SportA rare opportunity
That's perhaps the silver lining in Russo's injury, that it forces Wiegman to give another player a shot when she probably otherwise wouldn't. That's not a dig at the England boss but rather the reality of the situation. The Lionesses are in a very tough Nations League group with world champions Spain, a Portugal side that held them to a draw in February and a Belgium team that beat them the last time they travelled to Leuven.
These matches have an impact on World Cup qualifying and the seeding each team will earn. England were burned by that in the previous edition of the Nations League. Finishing second in their group meant they were not in Pot 1 for the Euro 2025 draw and that contributed to them ending up in a brutal group with France, the Netherlands and Wales.
Plus, the Lionesses will have ambitions to be triumphant in the Nations League altogether, as well as a desire to win as many games as possible going into this summer's Euros, to build the momentum and confidence ahead of their title defence. It’s understandable that Wiegman has been going full-strength in each game, meaning Russo has started all three so far.