Aggie Beever-Jones gives England the depth Wiegman craves

With just five weeks left before the European Championship begins in Switzerland, every minute on the pitch becomes an audition. Aggie Beever-Jones grasped her chance with both hands on Friday against Portugal, scoring a 33-minute hat-trick as England won 6-0 at Wembley.

The 21-year-old Chelsea forward has had to be patient when it comes to opportunities for the national team, making only one start since her debut in July 2024, but her first game at Wembley was a triumph.

It took her only three minutes to score, picking up a loose ball on the edge of the box and firing off a quick shot. She was unmarked to head home from a Lucy Bronze cross 23 minutes later, before finishing her hat-trick with a fierce right-footed shot.

“In football it’s never just a straight line,” Beever-Jones told the BBC. “I’ve had to be patient in this set-up and that just shows the quality the team has. I got the opportunity and I am grateful to everyone who helped me get into this place. I couldn’t have hoped for a better day.”

England have struggled in front of goal recently, scoring more than twice only once in their previous seven matches, so the sight of an England forward looking confident and freescoring will have been a relief for manager Sarina Wiegman. “She’s a goalscorer,” said Wiegman of Beever-Jones. “She scores goals very easily.”

Bronze and Arsenal wingers Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly added the other three goals to round off an impressive result against a team England had drawn 1-1 with back in February.

England’s week had been overshadowed by the surprising news on Tuesday that Mary Earps had decided to retire from international football. Wiegman’s displeasure at the decision was apparent, with Earps making the call after she had been told that Hannah Hampton would be England No 1 at the Euros, although she had reportedly spoken to Wiegman about this possibility a number of times in previous months.

In England’s press release on the news, Wiegman was quoted as ­saying: “I had hoped that Mary would play an important role within the squad this summer, so of course I am disappointed”. She refused to be drawn further on the issue in press conferences.

Earps’s decision removed one of the main question marks over what England’s starting XI will look like when they begin the Euros with a tough game against France. Given that this is Wiegman’s third major tournament at the helm, her preferences are clear, with Bronze, Millie Bright, Leah Williamson, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo and Mead all more or less guaranteed to start if fit. Hampton is now secure as England’s only capped goalkeeper.

Hemp and Stanway both looked like they might be doubts for the ­tournament having sustained ­injuries during the season that kept them out for months. Hemp made her return for Manchester City at the end of April and looked sharp in her first England appearance since last July, while Stanway came off the bench 161 days after she got injured playing for Bayern Munich.

Lauren James is the one England are still holding their breath on. The Chelsea attacker sustained a hamstring injury during England’s last international break but noises around the camp have seemed positive about the likelihood of her inclusion in the 23-player squad, which is being announced on Thursday.

“She has ticked the boxes she needs to tick and we are progressing her,” said Wiegman. “We hope she keeps moving forward and can join the team later on.”

While there has been an understandable focus on the fitness of potential starters, it is performances of fringe players like Beever-Jones that feel more heartening if England want to replicate their 2022 success. At that tournament, substitutes were crucial to giving England the edge in close games, but in the intervening three years, Wiegman has struggled to settle on who she trusts to make an impact off the bench.

Grace Clinton and Jess Park have impressed in midfield in recent months, while Kelly’s rejuvenating loan spell at Arsenal, where she started and won the Champions League final, has created a more obvious pool of players who Wiegman can look to bring on. Wiegman is generally reluctant to rotate her team, so some of the injuries England have suffered have actually enabled more players to show their capabilities.

England’s squad players ostensibly have one more chance to show Wiegman what they are made of as they face Spain in Barcelona on Tuesday, but there is a question over how many make it on to the pitch.

England can top their Nations League group with a win, which would give them an advantage in World Cup qualifying, as well as be a psychological blow to a team who will be their main rivals at the Euros. For those on the fringes of the England squad, they will have to accept that Wiegman’s mind is likely made up.