Sarina Wiegman hopes Mary Earps won’t be booed on Lionesses return
Earps retired from the Lionesses before the Euros but then went on to make headlines with her comments about Hannah Hampton in her autobiography
England manager Sarina Wiegman hopes Mary Earps will get the retirement send-off she “deserves” ahead of a celebration for the former Lionesses goalkeeper before the World Cup qualifier against Spain at Wembley on Tuesday. Earps retired from international duty ahead of Euro 2025 last year after playing a key role for the Lionesses in their Euro 2022 triumph and run the 2023 World Cup final that saw her recognised as the world’s best. But after losing her place to Hannah Hampton before last year’s Euros, Earps went on to criticise Wiegman’s decision to restore Hampton to the Lionesses squad in her autobiography ‘All In’ - which made headlines following the book’s release in November .
There was a mixed reception for Earps when she played for PSG at former club Manchester United (Getty) The Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper has played just once in England since her book was published, when making her return to former club Manchester United in the Women’s Champions League. On that night there were some boos as well as cheers . Earps then revealed regrets over comments made in the autobiography and said she “learned some tough lessons” during the fallout, but Wiegman said she has put the incident behind her and hopes she will be given a warm reception at Wembley.
“It shows what she has done for the game, what she has done for England,” Wiegman said ahead of the on-pitch presentation. “She is an inspiration for so many people, particularly young goalkeepers. She deserves a great farewell.
I hope we celebrate her and it will be a nice moment. “I think some people have been disappointed, some people will be thinking she is inspirational, everyone will have an opinion. But let’s cherish the moments we had together.