Alessia Russo Sarina Wiegman England splitGetty/GOAL

Alessia Russo's possible Lionesses absence highlights England's lack of striker depth heading towards Euros defence

Any fans arriving in Newcastle on Friday hoping to see Alessia Russo as England take on France could well be disappointed. Just seven days ago, the Arsenal star started - and scored in - a post-season friendly some 10,000 miles away, in Australia, meaning it seems unlikely that the only recognised centre-forward in the Lionesses squad will be in Sarina Wiegman's XI as qualifying for the 2025 European Championship resumes.

It's a situation that has seen plenty of issues around the schedule in football raised again, the kind of which Wiegman has spoken about many times over the last few months in particular, but it's also one that highlights how quickly the absence of Russo can leave England looking a little light up top.

The Lionesses might be stacked in the forward areas, but when it comes to No.9s, that's certainly not the case, and it's something that needs addressing as the reigning European champions build towards their title defence in Switzerland next summer.

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