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Teenage star Erica Parkinson makes England World Cup qualifiers

Erica, young England football player controls the ball on a green pitch during a match between England and Norway. Getty Images/Molly Darlington FA

Erica Parkinson takes a shot during the Women's U23 international match between England and Norway

England boss Sarina Wiegman has named 23 players for England's World Cup qualifiers in April - and 17-year-old Erica Parkinson was "speechless" when she got the call up.

It is the first time she will play on the Lioness's senior team.

Announcing the line-up at a press conference on Tuesday, Weigman said Erica is "a very dynamic, attacking midfielder, wants to go forward. She's also very aggressive and pretty technical".

Most of the players - 21 of them - were part of the squad who featured in last month's victories against Ukraine and Iceland.

Who is Erica Parkinson?

Erica wears a black t-shirt, a pink lanyard and has wireless headphones in her ears. Sportsfile/UEFA via Getty Images

She speaks four languages and has been playing seriously since she was 10

Erica was born in Singapore. Her father is English and her mother is Japanese.

She fully embraces her multicultural upbringing and even speaks four languages.

She currently plays for Portuguese side, Valadares Gaia, but spent her youth career with England.

She has been playing in Portugal since the age of 10 and was scouted by England a few years into her time there.

The talented youngster was called up to England's Under-23s for the first time in November, having previously played for the U16s, U17s and U19s.

Parkinson turns 18 on the day of the Iceland game, lets hope it will be a birthday to remember.

England boss Sarina Wiegman smiles at a press conference. She is wearing glasses and a purple England top. Getty Images/Naomi Baker

England boss Sarina Wiegman announced the squad line up on Tuesday.

She said: "Last month we started our campaign strongly with two good performances against Ukraine and Iceland, and we want to continue that momentum.

"These upcoming matches against Spain and Iceland are important steps in our qualification journey, and we're fully focused on performing at our highest level."

June will bring the final round of England's World Cup qualifiers, beginning with Spain on Friday 5 June at Son Moix Stadium in Palma, Mallorca.

The Lionesses will then return home for their concluding group-stage qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday 9 June at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.

Who is in the England Women's World Cup squad?

Here's the complete list, along with their home team in brackets.

Goalkeepers:

  • Hannah Hampton (Chelsea)

  • Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride)

  • Ellie Roebuck (Aston Villa)

Defenders:

  • Lucy Bronze (Chelsea)

  • Jess Carter (Gotham)

  • Alex Greenwood (Manchester City)

  • Taylor Hinds (Arsenal)

  • Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United)

  • Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit)

  • Leah Williamson (Arsenal)

  • Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

Midfielders:

  • Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City)

  • Lucia Kendall (Aston Villa)

  • Erica Meg Parkinson (Valadares Gaia)

  • Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich)

  • Keira Walsh (Chelsea)

Forwards:

  • Freya Godfrey (London City Lionesses)

  • Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)

  • Lauren James (Chelsea)

  • Chloe Kelly (Arsenal)

  • Beth Mead (Arsenal)

  • Jess Park (Manchester United)

  • Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

The Lionesses will play Spain on Tuesday 14 April at Wembley Stadium before travelling to face Iceland on Saturday 18 April.

The Iceland game will be the England side's 500th game and mark a milestone in the team's history.

Beth Mead will joining the squad after recovering from a fractured shin, but Chelsea's Aggie Beever-Jones, Manchester City's Grace Clinton and Manchester United's Ella Toone will miss out on April's World Cup qualifier games because of injury.

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