Aston Villa boss Carla Ward performs U-TURN on her claims Hannah Hampton was axed ‘in the best interests’ of the team as she now insists goalkeeper DOES have ‘ongoing medical issues’… despite England dropping her over attitude problems
- Aston Villa women’s keeper Hannah Hampton has been under fire this week
- The England star was dropped by club and country over attitude problems
- But Villa boss Carla Ward has backtracked on previous comments about her
- She previously said she left her out of her squad ‘in the team’s interests’
Aston Villa manager Carla Ward has back-tracked on her comments that Hannah Hampton was left out of the squad to face Chelsea in the ‘best interests’ of the team.
Ward had said that Hampton was fit to play in last Friday’s press conference ahead of the game at Kingsmeadow. The goalkeeper was left out of the squad but turned up unannounced to watch from the stands.
After the game, Ward said that Hampton had been available but that something had happened a day earlier which led her to decide it was in the best interests of the team to leave her at home.
Ward said: ‘Hannah was available. Something happened yesterday and we decided it was in the best interests of the team and the squad for her to stay at home so I did exactly that.
‘That’s all I really want to say on the matter. I made the decision in the best interests of the team to leave at her home and I’ve left her at home. I would probably prefer to talk about the 11 players that were here.’
It then emerged on Monday that Hampton had been dropped by England over issues with her attitude. The goalkeeper has not been picked by Sarina Wiegman since the Euros, with the Lionesses’ boss stating she had ‘personal issues’ she had to resolve.
Aston Villa boss Carla Ward (R) has backtracked on her comments about Hannah Hampton – after claiming she was left out of her squad ‘in the best interests of the team’
Ward now claims Hampton is suffering from ‘ongoing medical issues’ following allegations of attitude problems
Wiegman named her squad for this month’s friendlies against Japan and Norway on Tuesday and after Hampton was excluded again, the goalkeeper broke her silence with a statement on social media.
The 21-year-old said she was suffering with an ‘on-going medical issue’ and would undergo a small procedure that would keep her out for a few weeks.
That statement contradicted Ward’s comments last weekend but the Villa boss backed up Hampton’s claim in her press conference on Friday morning.
Ward previously said Hampton was fit to play against Chelsea – before the player turned up to watch the game despite being left out
Hampton – who was involved during Euro 2022 – was also dropped by England over the claims
When asked about Hampton’s situation, Ward said: ‘She has a recurring muscle injury, she’ll undergo a small medical procedure tomorrow. After that she’ll be back in contention.
‘That’s as much as I want to say on the matter.’
Ward was asked to clarify what she had meant by her comments that Hampton had missed the Chelsea game in the ‘best interests of the team’ but the manager did not want to elaborate.
‘That was last week, my focus now is on Liverpool,’ Ward said. My focus is on preparing the team for Sunday.’
After Hampton was left out of Aston Villa’s game against Chelsea, Hampton was seen attending the match having made her own way down to London – posting a story of herself cheering on the rest of the team.
England boss Sarina Wiegman said the door was open to Hampton despite dropping her from her latest squad – but said she still had things to address
She wrote: ‘Let’s go team,’ with an emoji of a lion alongside a picture of her watching the game from the stands.
Hampton was part of the England squad that won Euro 2022 but was second choice to No 1 Mary Earps. But the goalkeeper has been left out of the last two Lionesses squads, with manager Sarina Wiegman saying she had ‘personal issues’ she had to work through.
Wiegman said the door was always open however, as she confirmed she would not be part of her next squad.
‘It’s the same reason as I said in September, nothing changed. That’s basically what it is. She still has to [sort things out], it’s something personal I would not like to comment on further.
Hampton released a statement this week detailing her struggles with an ongoing medical issue
‘The door is always open. When players perform and they perform consistently at club, then they have a chance to make the squad.’
Writing on social media to clarify the situation this week, Hampton opened up on her struggles with injury.
‘I’ve been suffering with an ongoing medical issue for a while and it’s time to address it properly this week with a small procedure,’ she said.
‘I’ll be out for a few weeks now as I recover with the support of everyone at the club. My priority now is to return to fitness, get back on the pitch and give my all for the team. UTV!’
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