Hannah Hampton, a member of England’s victorious Euro 2022 squad, has been dropped by Sarina Wiegman because of her behaviour and attitude at the team’s camps, the Guardian understands.
The 21-year-old Aston Villa goalkeeper has not been called up by Wiegman since the European Championship, where she deputised alongside Ellie Roebuck for Mary Earps, and is unlikely to be selected again under this England manager.
Hampton has not played for Villa since 25 September and was left out of the squad for Sunday’s defeat at Chelsea. She watched from the stands even though the manager, Carla Ward, has said Hampton was told to stay at home.
Multiple sources have told the Guardian that Hampton has caused problems with her behaviour and attitude in England age-group teams and at club level. The Football Association, Villa and Hampton’s representatives declined to comment.
Before England’s World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Luxembourg in September, Wiegman said Hampton was absent because “she has some personal issues that she has to solve so for her at this moment it’s better for her to stay at her club”. Hampton was also omitted for October’s friendlies against USA and the Czech Republic and will not be included in the squad Wiegman names on Tuesday for games in November against Japan and Norway in Spain.
Hampton started the first two games of this season for Villa, the club she joined from Birmingham in July 2021, and then had a spell out because of an unspecified injury. Ward said Hampton was fit to play against Chelsea and that she omitted her “in the best interests of the team”.
Hampton travelled to Kingsmeadow and posted a photo from the stands with the caption “let’s go team” and “utv” (Up the Villa). Ward said after the match: “Hannah was available. Something happened yesterday, and we decided it was in the best interests of the team for her to stay at home so I did exactly that. That’s all I really want to say on the matter.
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“I made the decision in the best interests of the team to leave her home and I left her home. I would probably prefer to talk about the 11 who were here.”
Hampton received a first senior international call in February 2020 for the SheBelieves Cup, when Phil Neville was manager. She made her senior England debut on 20 February this year, starting a 0-0 draw with Spain in the Arnold Clark Cup, the friendly tournament organised to help prepare the Lionesses for the European Championship.