Wiegman’s omission of Steph Houghton from England squad is major risk

Sarina Wiegman’s decision to omit Steph Houghton from England’s World Cup squad has prompted little surprise but an awful lot of dissension.

It is the sort of contentious, high-stakes selection call that sometimes ends up coming back to bite managers on the backside. Wiegman’s closest allies will interpret it as another piece of characteristic sound judgment on the part of a coach who simply does not do sentiment.

In the interim, England fans will fret that the woman who led the Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory at Wembley last summer, and before that won Euro 2017 with her native Netherlands, has made her first major mistake.

Houghton’s sidelining at a moment when the case for the former captain’s recall has rarely looked more compelling seems peculiarly self-destructive. At 35, the 121-cap Manchester City centre-half’s international career had appeared over but then Leah Williamson, her replacement as captain and in central defence, ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament and was ruled out of the tournament this summer in Australia and New Zealand.

Given that Houghton had recovered from the achilles rupture which sidelined her for a year to excel for Manchester City this season she seemed a natural replacement. Throw in her stellar club central defensive partnership with England’s Alex Greenwood and the invaluable, mud‑on‑boots, experience of having represented the Lionesses in four major tournaments, and three semi‑finals, and the words “no brainer” came to mind.

City’s manager, Gareth Taylor, recently said: “Steph’s playing some of her best ever football. Her leadership qualities are huge; she’s professionalism personified.”

The argument for putting her on the plane to Australia only strengthened when Chelsea’s Millie