England Women ripped apart by withdrawals as the old realities of international management hit Phil Neville

The old realities of international management are beginning to bite for Phil Neville, and at a most unwelcome time. His England women’s team go into a critical 2019 World Cup qualifier against Wales at Southampton tonight worried by a familiar issue for the former England defender.

Season after season Neville was part of a Manchester United team fighting for trophies - and also notorious for players withdrawing from international fixtures as the business end of the campaign approached.

Now, as England seek to overtake a Wales team that lead their qualifying group (albeit having played a match more) he is on the receiving end. Chelsea duo Karen Carney and Anita Asante were ruled out before the squad announcement with injury. Three players have subsequently withdrawn: Millie Bright, also of Chelsea, and Manchester City’s Jill Scott pulled out with injury this week followed by Bright’s clubmate Hannah Blundell, who is suffering from illness.

Five players down, but it could be even worse and as Neville may recall, often is for managers of the men’s team. A factor may be that, while the clubs increasingly pay most of a player’s wage, and the prizes are valued, in the women’s game international football remains unarguably pre-eminent. With a World Cup to qualify for, and a new manager in charge, players desperately want to be involved.

But that just means they turn up exhausted. Neville said earlier this week that “the [Manchester] City and Chelsea girls have had a real tough period” and that it had affected what could be done in training. Chelsea’s prolific goalscorer Fran Kirby, was, he said, “a massive doubt,” adding “as are two or three others”. Among those is Arsenal’s Beth Mead, long overdue an England debut.

Neville went on to add players should relish this situation, but many female players - and club staff - are still adapting to the demands of an newly intensive, full-time sport. Such is the domestic dominance of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal they rarely get a break. There are two domestic cup competitions and, in the case of Chelsea and City, Uefa Women’s Champions League games too. City have played every possible fixture bar the 2017 Champions League over the last 21 months and their weariness is showing with defeat (by Arsenal) in the Continental Tyres (League) Cup final being followed by their league form taking a rare dip.

City manager Nick Cushing has become increasingly vocal about the demands on his players - nine of whom crossed the Atlantic to represent England at the recent She Believes Cup, returning days before the Continental Tyres Cup final. Emma Hayes, his Chelsea counterpart, has echoed his frustration. Both clubs face demanding two-legged Champions League semi-finals later this months, plus a tense Women’s Super League title run-in.

Neville will hope to have Kirby fit though the fine form of Birmingham’s Ellen White should ease his worries. He will hope, too, that Seattle’s Jodie Taylor is unaffected by a trans-Atlantic economy flight (it will not have gone unnoticed by Neville, who has complained about travelling conditions, that Taylor’s Seattle teammate, Wales’s Jess Fishlock, flew business).

England visit Bosnia & Herzegovina on Tuesday but tonight’s tie, against an improving Welsh team, is key. With only one qualifying place guaranteed nothing less than victory, in front of 25,000-plus at St Mary’s, will do if they are to secure pole position to reach France 2019.