Four Manchester United Women youngsters have earned England call-ups across two age groups after continuing to make their mark at club level.
Jess Simpson has been selected for the England Under-23 squad after an eye-catching week for Manchester United Women. The youngster made her first start for the senior team and marked it with an impressive goal in the 10-1 win over Sheffield United in the Subway Players Cup.
She will now join Lydia Bedford’s England Under-23 side as they look to defend their European title, having lifted the trophy after beating Sweden in April.
Manchester United youngsters continue to break through
Three more United players have been called up to the England Under-19 squad. Evie Mitchell, Lucy Robinson and Jessica Anderson will link up with John Salomon’s team during the international break.
England’s Under-19s have three group-stage matches ahead of them as they begin their bid to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Under-19 European Championship finals in Hungary next June.
The call-ups underline United’s continued focus under Eva Olid on developing players through their academy and giving them opportunities at senior level.
That pathway was particularly visible in the recent Players’ Cup clash with Durham, when six academy graduates featured for United. Lucy Newell made her debut, while Mared Griffiths found the net in a 5-1 victory.
Simpson, Anderson and Layla Drury also played important roles in the result, contributing to the team’s goals.
The latest England selections provide another reward for the progress being made by their younger players and add to a growing list of academy talents pushing towards regular first-team football.
