6 England Players to Watch Ahead of the 2020 SheBelieves Cup
By Ali Rampling
England women kick off a potentially pivotal 18 months with the defence of the SheBelieves Cup on Friday - the annual invitational tournament in the United States.
With Team GB taking a women's football team to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, followed by a home Euros in 2021, this years tournament is very much the calm before the storm for Phil Neville's side.
The England boss has named a mixed squad for the SheBelieves, ranging from experienced veterans to uncapped youngsters. Who should we have our eyes on during the tournament?
Lauren Hemp
The Manchester City winger has enjoyed quite the 12 months. This time last year, she travelled with the England squad to to the SheBelieves Cup just to train, purely for the experience.
One year on, Hemp has scored in an FA Cup final, made her international debut, and is now heading to the States well in contention for a starting berth.
The 19-year-old has had a stunning season with City thus far, playing with the fearlessness that reflects her age, but the consistency and maturity of a seasoned veteran. In the absence of Beth Mead, the tournament is a real opportunity for Hemp to stake a claim for a regular starting spot.
Beth England
By no means a youngster or player coming under the radar, but England is still relatively inexperienced when it comes to senior international football.
The 25-year-old has five international caps, and the SheBelieves Cup will be the most competitive round of fixtures she has been involved in with her country to date.
After such a prolific season with Chelsea - 14 league goals and a brace in the Continental Cup final - this is the first time England goes into an England camp with real expectation on her shoulders.
She has already coped with the potential pressure of international superstar Sam Kerr joining the Chelsea striking ranks, and it will be interesting to see if she continues to thrive under pressure at international level.
Ellie Roebuck
Another youngster who has had an impressive season with Man City, this is the first international camp where Roebuck looks like she could be going into it as England's number one.
The 20-year-old has only started twice for the Lionesses in her fledgling international career, and this tournament could be a real test of her credentials.
Roebuck is a top class goalkeeper; a superb shot stopper with great feet. She does have a mistake in her, but that is to be expected given her age. It will be exciting to see how she performs on the big stage.
Chloe Kelly
Kelly's only international cap to date came back in 2018, but the 22-year-old's form for Everton this season has made her an absolute must for the England squad.
She has nine goals in the WSL - an impressive feat in itself, even more so considering she plays out wide.
This is Kelly's first real shot at international football, and it will be fascinating to see how she manages the step up.
Grace Fisk
This is the West Ham defender's first international call up, with Phil Neville praising Fisk's accountability after her selection.
She only returned to England this year, following a successful two years playing college football for South Carolina.
For many England fans, the SheBelieves Cup will be their first opportunity to watch Fisk play and assess how she compares to the plethora of central defensive options Neville has at his disposal.
Jordan Nobbs
Most definitely not an inexperienced head or international football novice, but the SheBelieves Cup will be Nobbs' most competitive international football since suffering an ACL injury in November 2018.
The all-action midfielder featured in England women's four most recent friendlies, but with the side still in a post-World Cup rut, they were not the ideal opportunity to discover if Nobbs was back to her best.
It's been another good domestic season for the Arsenal midfielder: can she recapture that form in an England shirt?
