England women's manager Sarina Wiegman to wait on choosing permanent captain

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Leah Williamson was England's captain in the qualifiers for the World Cup against North Macedonia and Luxembourg last month

Sarina Wiegman, England manager, says she isn't ready to pick a permanent Lionesses captain yet.

Arsenal defender Leah Williamson was the captain of the team in last month's World Cup qualifiers against North Macedonia and Luxembourg.

She will be leading the team in the two next qualifiers, against Northern Ireland on Saturday and Latvia on Tuesday.

Wiegman answered a question about whether she had made a decision regarding the captaincy moving forward.

Williamson wore his armband for the first-time in the absence Steph Houghton who was injured and has been leading the Lionesses since 2014.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Wiegman should be made public, regardless if she is injured.

He tweeted, "What happened to just naming captain?" External-link

"Even if you are injured, name them and support them. I don't like the auditioning process for roles. It puts pressure on both the players who are finally announced and those who miss out!

Wiegman was kind enough to praise Williamson's performance in the role, but noted that there are other candidates for the position.

"Leah does well. Wiegman said that she plays well and is very proficient in the group.

"But, we haven’t had Steph or the other players in this group and they’ve captained this team before.

It all begins with performing. What is your role within the group? See who the best captain is.

"It will take some time, but once everyone is healthy, performs well, and is in the squad, I can see how everyone connects and what is best for our team.

"But for the moment, Leah does a very good work so we will see what happens next."

Alex Scott, an ex-england international, agreed that it was best for the team to delay making a decision.

She stated on Twitter that "this is a pivotal few years for the team." External-link

"No need for you to rush such a major decision until the manger has seen Lucy, Steph back in England to assess what's best suited to the 'group.

'A huge honour'

Wiegman believes Williamson is doing an 'excellent job' as England captain

Williamson stated that Houghton remains sidelined from an ankle injury and that she wished her well.

She said, "Steph used to be in those shoes once upon an time."

It's a shame that she didn't make it for the team or for herself. I hope she is able to get fit quickly so that she can be back for her team and herself.

According to the 24-year-old, it was an "huge honor" to have the opportunity to lead the Lionesses to Wembley on Saturday for the game. 30,000 tickets have been sold.

"I don’t believe anyone could ever get used to it. It's an immense honor. It's a huge honor, but I want to do my best in this job.

It's the most desired job in football. It's not something I've ever wanted, it's certainly not on my agenda. It's simply a matter of circumstances. Saturday is the day I am looking forward to, and I look forward to it as much as possible.