Sandy MacIver rules herself out of England's Women's World Cup squad
Manchester City goalkeeper Sandy MacIver has ruled herself out of Women's World Cup contention with England this summer due to injury.
The 24-year-old was most recently part of the squad selected for the Women’s Finalissima in April but was forced to withdraw ahead of that clash with Brazil at Wembley.
MacIver has also not played at club level for City since while she continues to recover.
She has spent the majority of this season as a back-up for England colleague Ellie Roebuck, but played a handful of WSL games over the course of the campaign.
MacIver had joined City from Everton, where she had previously been number one and had established herself as one of the best goalkeepers in the WSL, although her earliest England call-ups came while was playing at Clemson University in the United States.
Her form for the Toffees later earned MacIver a call-up for Great Britain's Olympics squad in 2021. And even though she missed out on Euro 2022 last summer, the Cheshire-born star was part of this season's Arnold Clark Cup group and would have been a consideration for the World Cup.
But MacIver has lost her race against the fitness clock and has confirmed her decision to make herself unavailable altogether before the England squad is announced on 31 May.
"I've taken the decision to make myself unavailable for England selection moving forward," she explained. "My current focus remains on my rehab. I am making great progress and look forward to a fully fit pre-season with City."
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MacIver's withdrawal from contention is likely to now mean that Sarina Wiegman will choose the same three goalkeepers for England’s World Cup squad that were at Euro 2022 last summer.
Emily Ramsey might have been another consideration, having played her way into the squad for the Arnold Clark Cup in February, only to suffer an injury and return to action for loan club Everton just this month. Hannah Hampton's return from fitness trouble earlier this season also make it less likely that Wiegman will take a gamble on the emerging Ramsey.
In addition to Hampton and the aforementioned Roebuck, Wiegman will name Mary Earps, who will be England's undisputed starter at the World Cup.
Earps was first capped by the Lionesses in 2017, but her international career stalled and, upon being recalled in 2021, she admitted thinking her time as an England player was over. But the 30-year-old has been in incredible form for Manchester United over the past few seasons and was a crucial part of England's Euro 2022 triumph last summer. That later contributed to her being named Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper or the Year, while she is one clean sheet away from a WSL single season record, having already claimed the league's 2022/23 Golden Glove.
