City and England Women’s captain Steph Houghton has withdrawn from the Lionesses' squad after sustaining an ankle injury.

The injury was picked up during the team’s final training session before facing North Macedonia at St. Mary’s Stadium this evening.

The City skipper will return to the City Football Academy for further assessment.

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Following Steph’s withdrawal, Arsenal’s Leah Williamson will captain her country in England’s first FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 qualifying fixture in Southampton.

England Women’s head coach, Sarina Wiegman said “First and foremost we would like to wish Steph a speedy recovery and hope to see her back fit soon.

“This is also an exciting opportunity for Leah Williamson to wear the captains armband at senior level for the first time and I look forward to seeing her in action.

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“We hope to see as many of our fans as possible at this evening’s match as we get our World Cup campaign underway.”

Tickets for this evening’s match are still available at thefa.com/tickets and will also be available to purchase at the stadium.