Hemp ruled out of England squad after knee surgery

Lauren Hemp has been ruled out of England’s upcoming friendlies after Manchester City confirmed the forward had surgery on a knee injury.

Hemp has missed City’s last two matches, including their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Women’s Super League on Saturday.

Sarina Wiegman confirmed the surgery was not related to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and the club have also not confirmed how long she will be out.

The 24-year-old recently became the youngest player in WSL history to reach 50 goals and also leads the way for assists (five) and chances created (26) in the competition this season.

Overall this term, she has scored two goals and registered seven assists in all competitions, including setting up three goals in City’s 4-0 win over Tottenham, her last appearance.

We can confirm that Lauren Hemp has undergone a successful knee surgery.

https://t.co/PZyzKuWpuv pic.twitter.com/BQqkmXkDhG

— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) November 19, 2024

Manchester United’s Ella Toone is also unavailable to Wiegman this international break due to a calf injury.

Her absence in their victory over Leicester City on Sunday ended a run of 96 consecutive league starts.

Niamh Charles, Lauren James and Lucy Parker are also out through injury, with the Chelsea pair having failed to recover from problems that kept them out of the previous international break.

It means there are first international call-ups for Laura Blindkilde Brown and Ruby Mace, while Gabby George is named for the first time since November 2022.

England take on the United States at Wembley on November 30 in the first of their two friendlies, before facing Switzerland three days later.

England squad in full:

Mary Earps (Paris Saint-Germain), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride), Mille Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Gabby George (Manchester United), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Brighton), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Ruby Mace (Leicester City), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Naz (Tottenham), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)