If England’s final warm-up for Euro 2025 is anything to go by, Sarina Wiegman will stick to her tried and tested players in Switzerland.
In the 7-0 hammering of Jamaica, Wiegman chose to start nine players who featured in the final win against Germany at Wembley in 2022 — the two exceptions being goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and defender Jess Carter.
None of the seven players going into their first major tournament started. With the team Wiegman picked against Jamaica widely expected to be the one that will start in the first game of England’s title defence against France this Saturday, it appears at first glance that experience has won out. Wrong.
Take your second glance at the bench and it is a different story. There are four young England attackers who know a place in the XI is not a prerequisite for a starring role.
Aggie Beever-Jones took only 10 minutes to find the net after coming on at the King Power. Michelle Agyemang needed 41 seconds to score on her debut against Belgium in April. Jess Park was just over a minute into her senior England career when she opened her account against Japan in November 2022.
Grace Clinton was positively slow by comparison, taking nearly 20 minutes to score her first goal on her debut against Austria in February 2024.
These four might not rack up many minutes in Switzerland, but they know how to make the most of the ones they get.
In 2022, Alessia Russo was Wiegman’s goalscoring weapon off the bench, scoring four goals in six substitute appearances on the way to the title. Chelsea forward Beever-Jones looks ready to step into that role.
She has scored five England goals in six appearances this year — two were from the bench, and the other three came inside 30 minutes against Portugal at Wembley. The 21-year-old rarely needs long to make her mark on games and proved that once more against Jamaica.
Within four minutes of coming on, she forced Jamaica goalkeeper Liya Brooks into her best save of the game with a half-volley from Lauren James’ cross. A minute later, Brooks denied her stooping header with a fingertip save.
Beever-Jones got on the scoresheet through a well-timed run that she finished at full stretch with her weaker left foot. It was England’s sixth unanswered goal, but her energy and urgency would not have looked amiss in a finely balanced knockout tie.
Sliding in for SIX! 6️⃣
Time to re-live tonight’s #WEURO2025 send-off match:
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 29, 2025
Beever-Jones adds mobility and unpredictability to England’s forward line. Against Jamaica, her runs in behind, particularly onto Chelsea team-mate James’ through balls, were well-timed, she showed her variety of shots, and, despite her slight frame, she held the ball up well in the box. She will not displace Russo as England’s starting striker, but like Russo in 2022, she is primed for a breakthrough tournament from the bench.
Right behind her, Clinton’s 15-minute cameo against Jamaica showed what she offers: energy. The Manchester United midfielder popped up in pockets of space, receiving passes on the half-turn and driving the attack forward.
The 22-year-old showed a terrier-like ability to recover the ball and intelligent defensive positioning. It was her interception of Brooks’ long goal kick in the last minute of stoppage time that set things in motion for Beth Mead’s goal. Her ability to be a nuisance to opposition defenders and attackers makes Clinton a valuable option off the bench against tired teams.
Clinton again impressed in an England shirt (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
It was surprising that Manchester City’s Park did not feature against Jamaica, considering she has started five of England’s six Nations League games this year and registered two goals and an assist.
Without Lauren Hemp and James’ returns from injury, Park would be on the cusp of a starting role in Switzerland — now, she will likely be Wiegman’s all-round attacking sub. The 23-year-old can play as a No 8, No 10, or winger, which will be key if Hemp, James, or Georgia Stanway face an injury setback.
And then there is Agyemang, the true wildcard. The 19-year-old Arsenal academy graduate, who scored three Women’s Super League goals for Brighton & Hove Albion on loan in 2024-25, has made only one senior England appearance. Fortunately for her, the stunning goal she scored less than a minute into that appearance earned her a place in the Euros squad. Wiegman has gambled on Agyemang’s pace, physicality, and ability to play across the forward line — if her one game is anything to go by, it’s a gamble worth taking.
“(The young players) are hungry,” winger Mead said after the win over Jamaica. “They’re ready to be there and they’re ready to come on and do what they need to do. Look at the last Euros — some of our bench players made big differences.”
England’s three most important goals in 2022 — Ella Toone’s equalisers in the quarter-final and final, and Chloe Kelly’s tournament winner — were from substitutes. For Beever-Jones, Agyemang, Park and Clinton, that is the blueprint in Switzerland.
(Top photo: Park, Beever-Jones and Agyemang after the win against Jamaica; by Harriet Lander – The FA via Getty Images)
