England Women's manager Sarina Wiegman has named young midfielders Lexi Potter and Erica Meg Parkinson in her squad for the upcoming two-leg World Cup play-off against Greece.
The two teenagers report to St George's Park from contrasting football paths, with Potter receiving her first senior call-up and Parkinson returning for a second camp.
Potter, 20, has established herself in Chelsea's midfield alongside Keira Walsh this season after holding talks with head coach Sonia Bompastor over the summer.
"We had a few conversations over the summer and I made it clear that I want to be playing as much as I can," Potter said.
She added that she did not expect to feature as much as she has so far and expressed gratitude for the trust shown by Chelsea's management.
Parkinson, who turned 18 in April, joined NWSL side North Carolina Courage from Portuguese club Valadares Gaia on a four-year deal and made her league debut on July 18, 2026.
Born in Singapore to a Japanese mother and an English father, the four-language speaker moved to Portugal at age 10 and played first-team football there for several years.
Speaking at a media conference at St George's Park on Tuesday, October 6, Parkinson said she was very grateful to be back in the England setup.
"I had a move this summer, and I didn't know what to expect, but I'm grateful for the opportunities I've been given under Mak [Lind] and under the team that I've been playing with," she said.
"And then to be called up again, like, it's great to be recognised and to be playing minutes and to come in with confidence.
I'm grateful to be here and to be training with top-class players again."
Parkinson said Wiegman's willingness to trust young players gives the squad confidence.
"It's a lot of confidence to us.
I feel like, you know, there's been many call-ups over the last two-three years from young players and honestly it shows that she believes in us, she trusts us and it allows us to perform even better going into that with the knowledge that, you know, she's picked us for a reason, and I think that just helps a lot," she said.
The midfielder opted to stay with North Carolina Courage during the Under-20 World Cup in Poland rather than join England's youth squad because of injuries at her club.
"I think it's definitely been a dream of mine to play at the World Cup and especially with all the prep that we've been doing.
You know I've been in and around the team throughout the whole preparation campaign but I guess it's just an unfortunate situation," she said.
"It wasn't anybody's fault I think, we [North Carolina Courage] were just riddled with injuries and they were so last minute, and it was just a last minute decision."
She described the choice as difficult but said she was happy to watch her England teammates perform at the tournament.
"I was definitely torn, but I was still happy to see the girls and how they've been doing, watching all the games and seeing them shine," she said.
Parkinson added that missing certain youth opportunities is part of a footballer's development.
"There's different experiences that you can get, like if I were to have gone to the World Cup or if I were to have stayed.
I think as a footballer you're always going to miss out on certain opportunities and you just have to be grateful for the ones you do get," she said.
"And I was able to stay at club and get minutes there, get good games and get experience."
On working with Wiegman, Parkinson said the coach's track record and the environment around the team help players stay focused.
"I'm very grateful to be working with such an amazing coach and with such an amazing track record.
I think that [the World Cup] is something that the whole England FA wants I guess. It's a huge tournament," she said.
"I do think that they're really good at helping us stay present and focusing on what's important.
I'm just so grateful to be under an amazing coach and be around a great environment with the team."
Parkinson also explained the origin of her middle name during the media session.
"My dad is a huge Man United fan so I was named after Eric Cantona," she said.
"It's a pretty good player to be named after except for, you know, the karate kicks," she added.
She noted that her brother was named after Denis Law, another Manchester United great.
"My brother was named after Denis Law.
I don't think my mum had much of a say in the name so she was dragged into it but it kind of worked out because we both play football now," she said.
The midfielder said she is enjoying life in the United States and is grateful for the minutes she has received since her summer transfer.
"I'm really enjoying it, I'm grateful for the minutes that I've been getting, I've been trying to show myself as much as I can in training," she said.
She described the move across continents as a big change but said her team and environment have made the transition easy.
Potter, meanwhile, has benefited from regular playing time at Chelsea and credits her teammates for helping her settle at club level.
"All my team-mates make fun of me and make comments to me and I'm like 'oh stop, I don't like any of that!'"
she said.
She mentioned specific praise from England teammate Walsh.
"Keira calls me a 'baller' and I'm just like: 'please stop!'" Potter said.
Potter also described how Walsh has helped her integrate into the senior England camp.
"Coming into the camp, Keira has really looked after me and tries to bring me out of my shell.
I'm not the loudest of characters but she tries to get me out of it and laugh a bit," she said.
England will face Greece in back-to-back fixtures during the first round of the World Cup play-offs.
