Neville won’t risk kids against mighty USA
PHIL NEVILLE insists he will not experiment with his team during their defence of the SheBelieves Cup next month over fears of being punished by rivals USA. The England manager, who called some of his side’s last six performances ‘unacceptable’, admitted they are still some way behind the two-time world champions. But it remains his ambition to bridge the gap. Neville said: ‘If we experiment against the USA we’ll get beat. You’ve got to use every golf club in the bag and use all the ammunition you’ve got to beat these teams. We’ve got to go out there and deliver in a way which we probably haven’t done for the last six games. ‘Sometimes we need to take a reality check and accept we are not where we want to be in every facet. The games we have played against the USA have been our biggest tests, but we want to overtake them. That’s the aim.’ Having consistently promised to give young players a chance, the 23-player squad Neville named yesterday sees West Ham defender Grace Fisk, 22, earn her first senior call-up, and in-form Everton striker Chloe Kelly, also 22, who made one England appearance in November 2018, also make the cut. Birmingham goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, 19, and US-based striker Alessia Russo, 21, join as training players. ‘I don’t look at age,’ added Neville. ‘Whether you’re over 30 or under 20, I look at the quality and what you can bring to the team. Until you give young players an opportunity, you never know if they can step up.’ England open their SheBelieves Cup campaign against Vlatko Andonovski’s USA side in Orlando.