Aston Villa midfielder describes 'shock' at first England call-up
Villa midfielder Lucia Kendall has described her shock at a first England call-up and revealed how she missed Sarina Wiegman’s initial phone call.
The 21-year-old, who joined Villa from Southampton in the summer, has been rewarded for her impressive performances during the opening weeks of the season by being included in the Lionesses squad for friendly matches against Australia and Brazil.
But Kendall insists she did not see it coming.
She said: “I was just at home, watching TV and I missed the call,” she recalled. “I got a text saying it was Sarina so I called her back. She told me I was getting called up. I was shocked – it was a real surprise.
“Obviously, moving to Villa this summer and moving to the WSL was a big thing for me. I’ve gone there because I think Villa is a great club and with the intention of hopefully if I could put in some good performances and get into the team and play regularly, maybe I could get a look in towards the end of the season, so I really didn’t expect it at all.
“Everyone’s on their own timeline. This has all happened so quickly. I’ve just taken everything in my stride, I think.”
The Lionesses will return to action for the first time since their Euro 2025 win when they take on Brazil at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, before facing Australia at Derby’s Pride Park next Tuesday.
“It’s kind of crazy,” added Kendall. “The environment is full of world-class players and seeing how they work and them on the pitch and just learning as much as possible.
“I want to come in here and show what I’m about but also, this group has just won back-to-back EUROs, so there’s so much for me to learn. I’m just someone that wants to learn and get better.”
