Maisie Symonds has received a first senior England call-up ahead of next month’s Nations League double-header against Belgium.
The midfielder joins club-mates Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris as well fellow Albion graduate Maya Le Tissier, now at Manchester United in a 24-player Lionesses squad announced today.
Her call-up rewards a brave and brilliant return from illness and injury issues and a recent player of the match display for England under-23s.
Symonds has been in the Albion starting XI of late and has, for some time, caught the eye as a creative, forward-thinking midfielder who is very comfortable on the ball and has an eye for a killer pass.
Kirby returns from a knee injury sustained on England duty before Christmas having underlined her fitness and form with starts and goals away to both Tottenham and Leicester in the last ten days.
Albion have been keen to guide Symonds through the season and will be delighted to see her being called up.
Speaking after she scored a stunning free-kick at Birmingham City earlier this season, head coach Dario Vidosic said: “We know her talent, we know what she has got but we are trying to find the right times and build her body up so that we have her available for the full season.”
Having opened their Group A3 fixtures in February with a 1-1 draw in Portugal and 1-0 victory over Spain at Wembley, England will continue by taking on Belgium at Ashton Gate a week on Friday, then again in Leuven four days later.
Boss Sarina Wiegman said in a statement from the Football Association: “It’s good for us to be back together so quickly after a positive start to this year.
“We have a lot we want to achieve in the Nations League and although we are satisfied with our start in the group, there’s much more work to be done to improve our game.
“After two very difficult fixtures against them in 2023 we know the challenge Belgium will pose. We will need to be fully focused and perform at our best to get the two results we are looking for.
“I’m looking forward to getting the players together and continuing the hard work on the grass at St George’s Park before travelling to Bristol.
