Wales boss jokes Sophie Ingle made her 'look foolish' in training before Euros
Veteran Wales ace included in Rhian Wilkinson's squad despite being sidelined by a serious knee injury last season
INGLE TINGLE Wales boss jokes Sophie Ingle made her 'look foolish' in training before being named in Women's Euros squad
RHIAN WILKINSON joked Sophie Ingle caused her minor embarrassment in a training session as Wales ramped up their Euros preparations.
The ex-Chelsea star, 33, has defied the odds to make it into Wilkinson's 23-strong group despite being crocked for all of last term.
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Sophie Inglehas been included in Wales' squad with the team to compete in a Euros for the first time this summer
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Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson marked the announcement of her squad for the Euros by walking to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (also known as Mount Snowdon)
Credit: PA
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Veteran playmaker Jess Fishlock who is Wales' most capped international player is one of seven midfielders included in their Euros squad
Credit: Sportsfile
While Ingle brings considerable international experience, the 141-capped midfielder has not played a game since rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament last September.
The Wales ace sustained the injury during Chelsea's pre-season friendly clash with Dutch side Feyenoord but has since worked her way back to fitness.
Her return to the international squad comes less than two weeks ahead of them competing in a Euros for the first time ever.
Head coach Wilkinson, 43, said: "Sophie made me look foolish on Wednesday, I should never jump into training anymore, it's not good for my ego!
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"We needed to make sure that Sophie Ingle was in a good place.
"She's still on her path to full fitness but she's in a position now where she can contribute which is important for us."
"She has to be able to contribute in some way, that was the pre-requisite that I had.
"When she was able to meet that she was straight into the squad."
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Wilkinson was speaking earlier today after naming her Euros squad ahead of Wales' major tournament debut next month.
Ingle, who has 141 caps, is one of four Wales centurions included in the group.
Playmaker Jess Fishlock, 38, Hayley Ladd, 31, and skipper Angharad James-Turner, 31, are the other three in a squad who will battle Holland , France and holders England in the group stage.
When asked what role she expects Ingle to play, Wilkinson added 'I don't want to get into that specifically because Sophie's pushing, she's looking really good in training.'
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With Wales competing in a group with two Euros-winning sides, they will face a fierce battle to reach the European Championship knockouts.
But striker Elise Hughes insists the Group D underdogs will be looking to win their clashes against three of the top ten national sides.
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Elise Hughes insists Wales will be looking to test the resolve of their rivals group stage rivals England, France and the Netherlands
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The Crystal Palace striker, 24, said: "It's meant to be the best nations in Europe going to compete against each other.
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"We're definitely there to compete and we're definitely there to win games as well.
"We're not just there to enjoy the summer, but hopefully we do enjoy this summer and we go as far as possible."
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