England captain Houghton ruled out of Arnold Clark Cup

England captain Steph Houghton will miss the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup later this month after failing to recover from an ankle injury, the women's national team said on Tuesday.

Manchester City duo Ellie Roebuck and Lucy Bronze were included in the 24-player squad, while there was also a recall for Arsenal defender Leah Williamson.

The Arnold Clark Cup, which pits England against Canada, Spain and Germany on home soil, is likely to offer vital preparation ahead of the European Championship in July.

"I'm looking forward to playing against three world-class teams. It will be the perfect way to begin a big year, and we will get a lot of important information from training and the matches ahead of the Euros," said England coach Sarina Wiegman.

"The rhythm of three games in ten days will also help us, offering more opportunity for rotation, to understand more about our squad and the way we want to play."

England open their campaign against Olympic champions Canada on Feb. 17 before facing Spain three days later and Germany on Feb. 23.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund; Editing by Christian Radnedge)