Sarina Wiegman has commended Ella Toone for the maturity she showed after being left out of England's original squad for the Women's World Cup playoff against Greece, only to be summoned back into the fold at short notice.
The Manchester United midfielder was initially overlooked by Wiegman, who explained at the time that both Toone and Chloe Kelly had failed to meet the standards she expects, saying "the levels weren't what I expect from them on the pitch." However, circumstances changed when Lucy Bronze picked up what Wiegman described as a "really small" injury, forcing the right-back to withdraw and return to her club, Chelsea.
That opening allowed Wiegman to call Toone back into the squad, and the 26-year-old made her way to Greece from Spain, where she had arranged her own training sessions during the international break to stay sharp despite her exclusion.
Toone's reaction to being dropped initially, and then her response to the recall, has clearly left an impression on her head coach. The playmaker, who has earned 69 caps and scored 24 goals for her country including memorable strikes in the Euro 2022 final and the 2023 World Cup semi-final, addressed the snub publicly after starting in Manchester United's win over Liverpool at the weekend. Speaking to the BBC, she said: "It's about me now. I've got to keep working hard and use it as fuel to come back even better."
Wiegman confirmed she had taken note of both the words and the actions that followed. "Yes, very much," she said when asked if Toone's response had impressed her. "I think when I gave her the call, of course that was a hard call. But she took that straight away. Of course [she was] very disappointed, but the first thing she did [was say]: 'OK, I'm going to get back, I'm going to do that.' She has the support around her too."
The England manager elaborated further, pointing specifically to how Toone carried herself. "That answer in the game, also the way she spoke about it, I thought that was really good. And then getting everything ready to go to Spain instead, but go for training there, I think that really impressed me. Well done, I would say."
Toone's experience could now see her handed a role in Friday's first leg in Heraklion, with her versatility also factoring into Wiegman's decision to recall her rather than bring in a direct replacement for Bronze at right-back. England are expected to set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Hampton in goal behind a back line of Le Tissier, Morgan, Williamson and Greenwood, while Stanway and Walsh anchor midfield in front of an attacking trio of Mead, James and Hemp supporting Russo up top.
The European champions will be targeting a commanding lead over Greece before the return fixture in Leicester next Tuesday. Victory across both legs would send England into a second playoff round in December, against either Slovakia or Ukraine, with a place at next summer's World Cup in Brazil on the line.
Greece, who have never reached a major tournament, are expected to defend deeply and frustrate their more illustrious opponents. Defender Esme Morgan acknowledged that patience would be key, drawing on England's experience in a qualifying match against Ukraine when breakthroughs came only after sustained pressure. "It's just persistence and trying not to get drawn into being frustrated by the opposition," she said, recalling how England eventually found success after a goalless first half by sticking to their gameplan rather than resorting to speculative efforts. "So it's just sticking to the gameplan, trusting in what we do and being patient."
The draw for next summer's World Cup finals takes place on 11 December.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.