Phil Neville opens England door with surprise selection of Anita Asante

Phil Neville has made a clear political statement by unexpectedly naming Anita Asante in his first England squad. “I hope this squad shows the door is not closed to anyone,” said the women’s coach, who will be assisted by Mo Marley, his caretaker predecessor, at next month’s SheBelieves Cup in the US. “Those in form will always have a chance of being picked.”

Asante, a Chelsea defender last called up in 2015, claimed Mark Sampson, the former England manager, was wrong to overlook her. She had also supported Eni Aluko when the former England striker made claims of bullying and racism against Sampson last year.

Sampson was found to have used racist language in the form of “ill-judged jokes” towards Aluko and her Chelsea team-mate Drew Spence but Katharine Newton, the investigating barrister, said she did not believe Sampson to be racist and found no evidence Aluko was bullied. By then, though, the coach has already been sacked for “inappropriate conduct” in a previous job. He is taking legal action against the Football Association.

While Aluko’s international career appears over – she is on the sidelines at Chelsea and has been the subject of complaints from England players concerning her behaviour before and after Sampson’s dismissal – Spence was in contention but failed to make the cut for Neville’s 23 strong squad.

Two newcomers – Chelsea’s Hannah Blundell and Everton’s Gabby George – will be in the party for the tournament which sees England facing France in Columbus, Ohio, Germany in Harrison, New Jersey, and the USA in Orlando, Florida. Despite nursing a foot injury, Steph Houghton, the England and Manchester City captain, also travels.

Considering the highly experienced Marley, who impressed as caretaker, applied for Neville’s job before opting to return to her role with England’s junior teams, her temporary involvement is unexpected. A full-time assistant is expected to be appointed in the summer and may well be Casey Stoney. The former Liverpool defender has retired from playing and heads to the US in a coaching capacity.

“I’ve been really impressed by what I’ve seen in the past few weeks,” said Neville, who is keen to emphasise his squad is a meritocracy. “Some exciting young players have caught my eye, and not just those picked for this squad. They’ll get opportunities in the coming months to challenge the established players.”

England women’s squad

Goalkeepers K Bardsley (Manchester City), S Chamberlain (Liverpool), C Telford (Chelsea). Defenders A Asante, H Blundell, M Bright (all Chelsea), L Bronze (Lyon), G George (Everton), A Greenwood (Liverpool), S Houghton, D Stokes (both City). Midfielders I Christiansen,) J Scott, K Walsh (all City), J Nobbs (Arsenal), F Williams (Reading). Forwards K Carney, F Kirby (both Chelsea), T Duggan (Barcelona), M Lawley, N Parris (both City), J Taylor (Melbourne City), E White (Birmingham)