Alex Greenwood Leah Williamson Millie Bright England Women compositeGetty/GOAL
Ameé Ruszkai

How will England replace captain Leah Williamson in the Lionesses' 2023 Women's World Cup squad?

EnglandL. WilliamsonWorld CupWomen's footballM. BrightL. BronzeA. GreenwoodJ. CarterR. DalyB. EnglandE. SalmonS. HoughtonL. Wubben-MoyM. Le TissierE. MorganFEATURES

After the Arsenal star was ruled out of this summer's tournament with an ACL injury, who will step up in her absence?

On Friday, England were dealt the news that they will be without captain Leah Williamson for this summer's Women's World Cup.

It's a hammer blow for so many reasons. The Arsenal star is the Lionesses' leader and an excellent centre-back who forms part of such a formidable back line.

Not only does head coach Sarina Wiegman need to select the personality best-suited to taking her armband, but also the right player to replace her in the heart of defence.

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The latter might not have the most straightforward solution. With the versatility that exists throughout the England player pool, there are a number of possible options and the route the coach takes could have quite a domino effect.

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GOAL takes a look at the candidates to captain the Lionesses at the 2023 Women's World Cup, who could replace Williamson in the starting line-up and who might take her spot in the squad as a whole with the reshuffle that may be needed.