Wiegman waits to see if she can be pitchside for England’s clash with Spain

Sarina Wiegman faces a nervous wait to see if she will test negative for Covid in time to be in the technical area for England’s Euro 2022 quarter-final against Spain on Wednesday night.

The Lionesses’ manager said she was “very hopeful” of being at the game in Brighton but emphasised that her presence is not imperative. “I’m feeling well, I’m ready to go but I still have to wait,” said Wiegman, who missed England’s 5-0 win against Northern Ireland in their final Group A match after testing positive.

“I’m very hopeful but we’ll see. We know if I can’t be there I’ll be around in another way. The work flow with my technical staff is so fluent, everyone knows what to do.”

Last Friday the former Netherlands head coach was in constant contact with her assistant, Arjan Veurink, via an open phone line. “We stayed connected all the time,” Wiegman said. “If necessary, that’s what we’ll do again against Spain. We just have to adapt. We can be efficient in different ways.”

Having had only mild symptoms lasting one day – “it wasn’t too bad, I had a little temperature and a little cough” – Wiegman has been involved in every outdoor training session since her diagnosis, albeit from a socially distanced vantage point and while wearing a mask. Meanwhile, indoor tactical debriefs have taken place virtually.

Despite England having tightened the rules for those visiting their base at a resort hotel in south west London – anyone entering the “bubble” must be tested for Covid and some are being asked to wear masks – their third-choice goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton, also recorded a positive result on Tuesday. Hampton apart, the remainder of the squad are available for selection.

“It’s not the worst nightmare, but Covid is just a situation we