Ellen White ruled out Friday’s penultimate pre-Euro 2022 warm up game

Ellen White will miss England Women’s friendly against the Netherlands on Friday after testing positive for coronavirus.

The Football Association said the Manchester City striker – the Lionesses’ record scorer with 50 goals – had returned home and ‘will be monitored regularly with a view to returning to camp as soon as possible’, with no replacement being called up.

England take on the Dutch at Elland Road in the second of three warm-up fixtures ahead of next month’s home European Championship.

Ellen White has been forced to temporarily withdraw from the England camp owing to Covid

Sarina Wiegman will be sweating over the fitness of her first choice centre forward for next month’s opening fixture against Austria

Sarina Wiegman’s team, who beat Belgium 3-0 at Molineux last week, conclude the trio of friendlies with a clash against Switzerland in Zurich on June 30 before opening the Euros by taking on Austria at Old Trafford on July 6.

Despite possessing options that can play in the absence of White, the Manchester City forward is no doubt one of the key cogs in Wiegman’s ideal England starting XI. 

She endured a tough 2021-22 season, scoring only four times, but has proven her worth to the Lionesses time and again over the past few years. 

It is believed that Beth England, a Chelsea forward, will come in in her place. Wiegman will not look to call up a replacement for her Covid-stricken centre forward and will instead go into the game against the Dutch with a squad of 22.

Holland are the defending champions and reached the 2019 World Cup final where they lost to the USA.  

Ellen White is likely to be England’s first choice centre forward at this summer’s tournament