Wiegman in race to make showdown

ENGLAND manager Sarina Wiegman’s battle to recover from Covid in time for tomorrow’s quarter-final with Spain is set to go down to the wire.

The Lionesses squad will travel to Brighton today but there is doubt over whether Wiegman will be able to make the journey with her players.

The manager will conduct her pre-match press conference remotely from the team’s hotel. ‘It’s been different,’ said England winger Lauren Hemp. ‘It’s frustrating but we’ve practised these scenarios for so long and what would happen. ‘She’s still involved in sessions remotely. We’ve still got fantastic technical staff who have carried on supporting us. She’s still there and still supporting us.’ Wiegman’s assistant Arjan Veurink took charge of the team against Northern Ireland on Friday and is primed to be back in the dugout tomorrow, should he be needed. Meanwhile, England have made alterations to their training to deal with the extreme heat. Sessions have been taking place earlier in the morning and players have been provided with ice jackets to keep cool. ‘It’s been a nightmare,’ Hemp admitted. ‘We were up early this morning to get training done because it’s so hot. It’s something we can’t control.’