Georgia Stanway shines while Grace Clinton's role remains uncertain

England’s first camp of 2026 produced plenty of talking points as Sarina Wiegman’s side opened World Cup qualifying with a 6-1 win over Ukraine and a 2-0 victory against Iceland, giving managers and players fresh clues ahead of the next major fixtures. Georgia Stanway was the week’s standout, scoring three goals in two games — including a composed penalty (her 14th from 14 for England), a spectacular top-corner strike and a superb volley from a Lucy Bronze cross — to move onto 32 goals for her country.

Jess Park also made her mark: thriving in a free-roaming wide role for Manchester United, the 24-year-old scored twice against Ukraine and used two starts to press her case for a bigger role in the England attack. Grace Clinton’s season has not gone to plan since her move to Manchester City.

Injuries and limited minutes have restricted her to few WSL starts, and she was left out of the matchday squad against Ukraine and did not play against Iceland.

England, Manchester

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