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England Women turn up the heat, but Phil Neville will not have learnt much from this training match

Phil Neville  - PA
Phil Neville - PA

There were winners and losers at St George’s Park and both were called England as Ellen White’s two goals and one from Ellen Toone secured a win for the team in white rather than maroon.

Covid-19 has ruined many of the best laid plans this year, turning the world upside down to such an extent that what might once have been considered strange or odd is now shrugged off as the “new normal.”

Even so, there is still something odd about an England team unveiling their new manager while the old one remains in the job and something weird about two England teams playing against each other because they cannot find anyone else suitable to go up against during an international break.

Amid the confusion, the FA are trying to make the best of a bad situation. Manager Phil Neville is leaving, confirming he will not extend his contract when it expires next year and the FA have already appointed his replacement, Sarina Wiegman, who will join when her contract expires with Holland, also next year.

In the meantime, Neville will continue to lead players who know he will not select another squad for a competitive game, in the hope that he will still be chosen to manage the Great Britain team at the Olympics in Japan next summer.

If he does get the nod – and most expect him to do so despite the fact England’s form since the World Cup has been eight defeats in 12 games – he could well meet the woman who is replacing him as Wiegman will be in charge of Holland.

Sarina Wiegman - SHUTTERSTOCK
Sarina Wiegman - SHUTTERSTOCK

As for what all this means for England’s preparations for the postponed European Championships, which was where Neville’s contract was supposed to take him to, remains to be seen.

Wiegman will now be tasked with trying to win that tournament on home soil but will only have 12 months with the squad to impose her ideas and methods.

It was against this backdrop that England played England in a behind-closed-doors match at St George’s Park, the best the FA could do until they take on Germany in Frankfurt next month. As with so many things these days, better than nothing but not ideal.

At least there was a bit of an edge, Rachel Daly fouling the returning Fran Kirby three seconds into the game causing the Chelsea forward to cry out in pain as her team-mate’s studs caught the top of her foot.

Ellen White, captaining the home team, scored twice in the first half, the first from a lovely through ball from Kirby after Daly had lost the ball inside her own half, the second with an opportunistic poacher’s goal following a scramble in the box.

There was one small moment of concern in the second half when captain Steph Houghton needed treatment on the pitch after a nasty accidental collision with Kirby who ended up running over the centre-back.

The young Manchester United forward, Ella Toone, secured the win for the whites just seconds after coming on as a substitute.

But if it looks like a training game, sounds like a training game and is played on a training ground then it is a training game. Neville will not have learned anything from this that he could did not know from watching them train all week.