The Lionesses have two crunch matches against France coming up in this international window, and there’s a feeling that there are plenty of starting spots up for grabs for the first time since Wiegman took charge.
One player who’ll be looking to make her way into the side is Aggie Beever-Jones, a 20-year-old attacker lauded by many as the ‘next big thing’ for both club and country.
She had to make her way through the ranks the hard way, being loaned out twice by Chelsea – to Bristol City and Everton.
However, injuries to teammates Guro Reiten and Fran Kirby, and later Sam Kerr, gave her a first-team opportunity at Kingsmeadow this season, and she took the opportunity in a big way.
England boss Sarina Wiegman said she wanted Beever-Jones to give her ‘headaches’ back in November, and she’s certainly done that: eleven goals on Chelsea’s way to another WSL title have finally earned her a spot in the senior Lionesses side.
‘Focusing on what I can control’
Speaking to the media at St. George’s Park on Tuesday, Beever-Jones said she was trying to stay grounded: “I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself and just focus on what I can control, training well, and then we’ll see what happens.
“[Playing] is definitely the dream but we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Her versatility, being able to play across the front line, could certainly end up giving her more opportunities in the future, but she says she’s not quite sure what her best position is.
“At club, I’ll sometimes play as a nine, sometimes on the wing,” she said.
“We’re looking at that as a positive, I can kind of play anywhere in the front line.
”I enjoy playing all three and if I’m on the pitch I’m ultimately happy.”
With the recent international retirement of Rachel Daly, there is more opportunity than ever to push for a starting number nine spot, although Ella Toone will surely have other ideas.
An international return for Bright
There’s also an opportunity for Millie Bright, now an OBE, who captained the Lionesses to a first-ever World Cup final last year and is finally back in the squad after recovering from a knee injury.
She spoke of the pains of being out: “I think this one in particular has been the hardest out of all of them.
“That’s football, the challenges that we face, and we have to make the best decisions to overcome them.
“Mine was making sure that I made the end of the season and put myself in a position to be selected.“
In Bright’s absence, Leah Williamson was paired with Alex Greenwood in the back line, with Jess Carter at left-back, but Bright being back in the mix means there are more world-class defenders than Wiegman can fit into one defence.
She says she’s relishing the competition: “No one’s place is set, everyone has to work hard for their position and for their place in the starting lineup.
“It’s no different than my mentality from before and I never take anything for granted. It’s always a massive honour getting called up, let alone playing.
“I’m just gonna keep my head down, work hard, and see what happens.“
They’ll be hoping to get their opportunity as England face France in the UEFA European Qualifiers on Friday 31 May at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, before the reverse fixture in Lyon on Tuesday 4 June.