Kirby back in England squad for Nations League games against Belgium

The Lionesses are third in Group A1 with three points after a win over Scotland and loss to the Netherlands while Belgium top the group with four points.

England host the Belgians on October 27th at Leicester City's ground and then travel to Leuven four days later.

"It's good for us to be back together," said coach Sarina Wiegman. "Obviously we had a good start with the win against Scotland, however the outcome of our last fixture against the Netherlands was disappointing.

"We will be fully focused to perform well twice against tough opposition. Belgium's results in the Nations League show they are a talented side who can cause teams problems, so we'll need to be at our best to get the results we’re looking for."

Clinton earned her spot after scoring her first goal for Tottenham Hotspur with a superb long-range strike last weekend.

Wiegman said Beth Mead, who made her first appearance in nearly a year with Arsenal on Sunday, is not quite ready to return to the Lionesses.

"To be honest, she was not close," Wiegman said of Mead, the Golden Boot winner and Player of the Tournament at England's Euro 2022 triumph. "She's in a good place now. She has been out for nine months. She had her first minutes which was very nice to see. And she was really happy the crowd was very happy so gave a lot of energy too.

"But she first has to build at club, show performance at club and get that consistency back ... and then we will have an opportunity to select her."

The Lionesses are third in Group A1 with three points after a win over Scotland and loss to the Netherlands while Belgium top the group with four points.

Wiegman said she "feels safe enough" to play Belgium after two Swedish soccer fans were shot dead in an attack in Brussels on Monday ahead of a men's Euro 2024 qualifying match against Sweden.

"Of course that's an awful situation. Very, very horrible. And of course the (England) FA has conversations with the Belgium FA and it's all about safety," she said. "I haven't talked to the players at the moment, but I do feel safe and there are conversations going on and they will do everything to make us safe."

The call-ups of the 20-year-old Clinton, who scored her first goal for Tottenham Hotspur with a superb long-range strike last weekend, and Keating, 19, "shows just how much talent England has," Wiegman said.

"What I want to see from them is they come in camps, see how they relate to the other players in the squad and let's show what they can do."

England squad:

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Ellie Roebuck.

Defenders: Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Alex Greenwood, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Lucy Parker, Lotte Wubben-Moy.

Midfielders: Grace Clinton, Fran Kirby, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Katie Zelem, Keira Walsh.

Forwards: Rachel Daly, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Jess Park, Alessia Russo