England boss Sarina Wiegman will miss the game with Northern Ireland on Friday night after testing positive for Covid.
Assistant coach Arjan Veurink will take charge of the game, held at St Mary’s in Southampton as Wiegman undergoes a period of recovery.
A statement read: ‘Wiegman will remain in remote contact with the players and technical staff and will be monitored regularly with a view to returning to all elements of her role as soon as possible.’
The Lionesses have already guaranteed progression to the quarter-finals and will play on Wednesday, so will be hoping the manager has recovered in time for then.
It will be either Spain or Denmark that England meet next week in the last eight, with those two nations meeting on Saturday to battle it out for the runner-up spot in Group B.
Speaking before the positive test on the Northern Ireland game, Wiegman said: ‘We will do what we believe gives us the best chance to win the next game.
‘And yes, of course some players will be disappointed, but we keep communicating, we keep being clear about what we do and why we do it … If you wouldn’t be eager to play then the player wouldn’t be in this squad.’
With a place in the quarters already secured, she added on the risk of injuries against Northern Ireland: ‘These things can always happen at the level we play. What we want to do is play a good game. We are focused, we are concentrated, we will probably have a lot of possession; we keep the ball going and then be composed.
‘You always know at this level, you are looking for the edge and things can happen, and another player will be ready. We don’t hope for that, but the priority is to keep rhythm and stay connected, communicating on and off the pitch.’
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