Ellie Roebuck and Lucia Kendall called up for England: What to expect from Aston Villa duo here
Aston Villa duo Ellie Roebuck and Lucia Kendall have been named in England’s squad for their opening 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Sarina Wiegman’s two-time defending European champions travel to Turkey to face Ukraine on 3 March, before hosting Iceland at the City Ground on 7 March.
These are England’s first competitive games since their Euros success in Switzerland last summer, with the Lionesses set to face beaten finalists Spain later in their qualifying group.
In the 25-player squad, Villa goalkeeper Roebuck is recalled, while midfielder Kendall will look to build on her three caps after making her debut last October.
While results have not been good of late for Villa in the Women’s Super League, some of their biggest stars are still earning national team call-ups.
Now, Aston Villa News has reflected on Wiegman’s decision to select the Villa pair.
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Did Ellie Roebuck and Lucia Kendall earn their England calls?
Two days after Natalia Arroyo‘s side were thumped 7-3 by Tottenham at Villa Park, Roebuck and Kendall can look forward to linking up with the England squad in the coming weeks.
The 26-year-old Roebuck has played 11 times for England over the years, with her last appearance coming back in 2023.
Kendall, on the other hand, earned all of her caps last year, with the 21-year-old scoring her first England goal in a 2-0 friendly win over Ghana on 2 December.
After impressing for the Lionesses, it is no surprise to see her back in the England squad. In addition to her two goal contributions for Villa this season, she has also made 14 interceptions and won 12 tackles in the centre of the park.
Roebuck has, perhaps, been a bit more fortunate to get into the squad off the back of her 44.8 per cent save percentage this season, via FB Ref, with Sabrina d’Angelo the de facto first-choice keeper at Villa.
However, she has featured more prominently than Brighton’s Sophie Baggaley in the WSL this season, and due to Manchester City’s Khiara Keating’s lack of minutes, Roebuck has been preferred.
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What are Roebuck and Kendall’s chances of making the 2027 World Cup?
Although Roebuck is likely to be England’s third-choice keeper at best, with Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton and Orlando Pride’s Anna Moorhouse ahead of her in the pecking order, Wiegman knows her worth.
On Roebuck’s inclusion, she said on Tuesday: “She came in the last camp because we had some injuries. She got some minutes, and she is in a better place.
“She had some setbacks over the last few years. It was really good to see her back, to see her happy and to see her being available. Playing and training fully.”
And on Keating, Wiegman added that she has “concerns” over her lack of game time this season, hence why she is with the under-23s. Meanwhile, Kendall has been called up despite having just returned from a thigh injury that sidelined her for five weeks.
The youngster came off the bench for the final 28 minutes of Villa’s heavy loss to Tottenham, but Wiegman clearly sees a lot of talent there.
In regard to the 2027 World Cup, Kendall has a better shot of making that final England squad, but Roebuck will do all she can to become a regular fixture in the squad, particularly with fellow Villa keeper d’Angelo out injured.
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