Hannah Cain back to boost Wales in Nations League

Wales will be boosted by the return of Leicester forward Hannah Cain when they take on Germany and Denmark in the Women’s Nations League later this month.

Cain missed out on Wales’ first two fixtures with injury and will be keen to contribute to a side that has so far scored just one goal in the tournament, conceding six.

Uncapped midfielder Josie Longhurst, a Reading summer signing who has been involved in previous squads and capped at Under-17 and Under-19 level, also returns to Gemma Grainger’s latest squad.

She will be joined by Sunderland’s Ellen Jones, a former England youth international under now-Wales boss Grainger who switched allegiances and earned her first Wales senior call-up in March.

A 1-0 loss to Iceland and a 5-1 home defeat by Denmark have dropped Wales to the bottom of League A’s Group 3, a position they will hope to improve upon when they travel to Germany on October 27 then play the return leg with Denmark on Halloween.

The new Nations League, which has promotion and relegation, serves as both an Olympic qualifier and also has implications for the European Championship qualifying phase.

While Wales cannot qualify as Team GB for next summer’s Paris Olympics – England are the nominated home nation – doing well in this tournament is therefore still vital should they hope to qualify for Euro 2025 in Switzerland.

Wales squad: Laura O’Sullivan (Cardiff City Ladies), Olivia Clark (Bristol City), Safia Middleton-Patel (Manchester United), Hayley Ladd (Manchester United), Josie Green (Leicester), Gemma Evans (Manchester United), Rhiannon Roberts (Real Betis), Charlie Estcourt (Reading), Lily Woodham (Reading), Esther Morgan (Hearts), Anna Filbey (Crystal Palace), Ella Powell (Bristol City), Sophie Ingle (Chelsea), Angharad James (Tottenham), Jess Fishlock (OL Reign), Rachel Rowe (Rangers), Ffion Morgan (Bristol City), Megan Wynne (Southampton), Ceri Holland (Liverpool), Ellen Jones (Sunderland), Josie Longhurst (Reading), Kayleigh Green (Charlton), Hannah Cain (Leicester), Carrie Jones (Bristol City), Elise Hughes (Crystal Palace), Mary McAteer (Sunderland).