England women’s goalkeeper Mary Earps has announced her shock decision to retire from international football, in a move which is said to have ‘angered’ manager Sarina Wiegman.
Earps has played more than 50 times for England, starring in the 2022 European Championships, which the Lionesses won. Of late, goalkeeping duties have been split between her and Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner in 2023, Earps lost her place to Hampton when injured in 2024, setting about the battle for the No.1 spot.
While both have played in the England net at times since then, Hampton has featured from the start in each of the last three England games in a row.
That has caused Earps to retire from international football, taking to Instagram to reveal she had ‘taken the difficult decision to retire internationally’.
According to a report from the Telegraph, she informed her team-mates of her decision on May 26, in what the report described as an ‘awkward meeting’.
Earps’ decision has not gone down well with Lionesses boss Wiegman. The report states she has been ‘angered’ by the decision, particularly as it comes just a few weeks before England’s opening game of the Euros.
Wiegman had recently made it clear that Hampton was her favoured option, stating in April: “I have two world-class goalkeepers. At the moment, [Hampton] is a little bit ahead.”
On Earps’ decision, she has said: “I had hoped that Mary would play an important role within the squad this summer, so of course I am disappointed. Mary has been clear on her reasons why she has made the decision and it is something we need to accept.
“Mary has made a huge contribution to not only the team, but the whole of English football. We will cherish those memories and of course give Mary the tributes she deserves after the summer but for now the focus needs to be on the upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League fixtures and the EUROs.”
The next England games are coming very soon, on May 30 and then June 3, against Portugal and then Spain. There were four keepers in the squad, with Earps and Hampton joined by Manchester City’s Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse of Orlando Pride.
It remains to be seen whether Wiegman will bring another keeper into her squad, or retain the latter three options with no changes being made.
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