England star Beth Mead has opened up on how “disappointing” it was to see Mary Earps, Fran Kirby and Millie Bright pull out of Euro 2025 but has insisted she is excited for a new Lionesses era to begin.

Earps and Kirby, two key figures in the team that won Euro 2022, retired in the build-up to Sarina Wiegman announcing her 23-player squad for the upcoming tournament in Switzerland.

Bright made herself unavailable for selection one day after Kirby announced her retirement, claiming she was not “able to give 100 per cent mentally or physically” before Chelsea confirmed she had undergone minor knee surgery in the days that followed.

England face Jamaica in their final preparation game ahead of kicking off their tournament against France on July 5.

Speaking to Sky Sports News at St George’s Park, Mead opened up on the absences of Earps, Bright and Kirby, where the Arsenal forward admitted she hopes to see Bright make a return to the Lionesses in the future.

“I’ve been around the team for a long time. I’ve known the girls a long time as well, and you never know what anybody’s thinking or where they’re at in their career or how they’re feeling,” Mead said.

“When the girls announced their retirement and were unable to come to camp, obviously, it’s disappointing.

“They’re big, big characters for the team. But we completely respect the decision, the decision that they’ve made and what a career all those players have had.

“Fran and Mary and hopefully Millie can recover well, and we can get her back firing for us again at England.”

England suffered a 2-1 defeat in their first game after Earps announced her retirement, with Kirby being left out of the matchday squad for the fixture before informing her team-mates she was retiring with immediate effect after the game.

In the absence of the three key figures, Wiegman will now rely heavily on the talents of Hannah Hampton, the first-choice goalkeeper in the squad currently, as well as Aggie Beever-Jones, Jessica Park and Grace Clinton.

Clinton, Park and Beever-Jones join Michelle Agyemang, Khiara Keating, Maya Le Tissier and Anna Moorhouse in players who will be playing in their first major tournament.

On the national team now entering a “new era”, Mead added: “We’ve got a very different outfit, a lot of different individuals.

“It’s a new England. It’s a new chance to do something different on a very competitive stage and probably going to be even more competitive than the last year or so. Exciting and an exciting group of players going into that.”

Clinton excited by new-look England and ready to play big role

Despite only having 10 senior caps for England, Clinton is one of the players growing in importance by the day and is now ready to step up at her first major tournament.

The 22-year-old started in the dominant 6-0 win against Portugal in the Women’s Nations League, which also saw Beever-Jones score a hat-trick on the evening, and is looking forward to playing a key role in the “new England”.

Clinton has started in seven of the last 10 Lionesses games.

“We speak a lot about it being a new England. Last time the girls were unbelievable at the Euros, but we’ve got a lot of new faces,” she told Sky Sports News.

“We’ve been in and around the squad for a while to settle in over time and see how the girls play.

“The standards are unbelievable. We’ve been in and around a little bit and we’ve played some games. I think it’s going to be a big tournament. And I think people like Aggie and Jess are going to have massive roles themselves.

“It’s exciting to have so much competition and so many good players.”

Walsh: Earps, Bright and Kirby will be missed at Euro 2025

Keira Walsh is now one of the senior figures in the Lionesses squad, alongside Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood and Mead, with 86 caps to her name and has echoed the sentiment made by Mead regarding the missing trio.

Walsh said: “I’d be lying if I said they’re not missed. They’re incredible players and they’ve done a lot for England over the years.

“They’ve got a lot of experience, but ultimately they’re not here. So we’ve got to look forward and we’ve got to get ready for the tournament with the squad that we’ve had. They’ve done a lot and we appreciate what they’ve done. They will be missed.”

Walsh has started alongside Clinton in four of the last five international outings and the midfield will also be boosted by the return of Georgia Stanway, who made her first start for England since November in the defeat to Spain.

Wiegman has opted to only take five midfielders within her 23-player squad, with Ella Toone the other name joining Walsh, Clinton, Stanway and Park as the only options for the England boss to call upon.

The squad met at St George’s Park on Monday and will depart for Switzerland on June 30.

What is coming up for the Lionesses?

All kick-offs UK time (BST)

June 29: Jamaica (H), friendly at King Power Stadium, kick-off 5pm

July 5: France (N), Women’s Euro 2025 group stage, kick-off 8pm

July 9: Netherlands (N), Women’s Euro 2025 group stage, kick-off 5pm

July 13: Wales (N), Women’s Euro 2025 group stage, kick-off 8pm