View: Ashleigh Neville snubbed by England despite strong WSL season for Tottenham
Ashleigh Neville has once again missed out on the Lionesses’ World Cup squad despite a positive season for Tottenham in the WSL.
Since her arrival in Tottenham at the beginning of the 2017/18 season, Neville has been a consistent performer for the club and has had another strong season in the WSL.
As posted to Twitter by the WSL’s official page (13 June), the full-back made the most tackles in the division last year with 77, which is 12 more than second-placed Kirsty Hanson who finished the season with 65.
It marks another strong season personally for Neville who has been a top performer for the club over the past six years. During her first season in 2017/18, following her switch from Coventry United Ladies, Neville picked up the club’s Player of the Season award.
In the following season, the 30-year-old featured predominantly at left-back and started 19 of Spurs’ 20 FA Womens’ Championship matches, scoring four times as the club was promoted to the WSL.
She continued to perform well during the club’s first two WSL seasons and in 2021/22, the club’s third season in the division, she was nominated for WSL Player of the Season in the same year she passed 100 Tottenham appearances.
However, curiously, despite these strong campaigns, Neville is yet to be capped by England and Sarina Wiegman has once again overlooked the defender ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.
Perhaps with Spurs competing toward the bottom of the division it has impacted Neville’s chances of making the squad and the player, who is now 30, will be hoping to feature for her country sooner rather than later.
Hopefully, Spurs will compete higher up the league next year and Neville can position herself on the radar of the English national team.