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• Rob Page aiming to have Tom Lockyer back for Wales’ September fixtures

  Rob Page expects to welcome Tom Lockyer back into the Wales squad in September after the Luton defender collapsed during Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final.

  Lockyer was stretchered off after just eight minutes of the Hatters’ Wembley win against Coventry and remains in hospital.

  But Luton boss Rob Edwards has reported the 28-year-old is “fine” and Wales manager Page said Lockyer was in good spirits during a 20-minute telephone conversation he had with the central defender on Monday.

  “You are always going to phone your players and show them support,” said Page after confirming Lockyer would be absent from next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.

  “It was just to say that we are here for him, in any capacity.

  “I am not going into detail of what’s happening or what’s going to happen. That’s conversations we are going to have with Luton Town Football Club.

  “It would be silly of me to even suggest what those reasons (for his collapse) were and the most important thing in this is health.

  “For us it’s just about getting him fit and ready for our camp in September.”

  Wales, who picked up four points from their opening two qualifiers in March, travel to Latvia in September.

  David Brooks has been recalled to the Wales squad for the first time since his cancer diagnosis.

  Brooks, who was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021, announced he was cancer-free in May last year.

  The 25-year-old midfielder returned to club action for Bournemouth in March and started the Cherries’ last two Premier League games.

  Page said: “I wanted to pick him in March. He played some minutes before that camp and I wanted to get him involved as soon as possible.

  “But I get that it was too soon and it was more beneficial for him to stay behind and play for Bournemouth Under-23s in a game that was organised for him.

  “Brooksy is definitely part of the changes I wanted to make post-World Cup and the way we want to play. He’s back fit, starting games in the Premier League and has the quality to be in our plans moving forward.”

  Neco Williams is also included after fracturing his jaw playing for Nottingham Forest last month. The 22-year-old has not played since.

  “He’s not played minutes because of the significance of the injury but he will be fit for camp,” said Page.

  “You can’t take away every risk and I think he’s got a protection to wear for that reason.

  “He’s so many weeks down the line so I’d think the opportunity of a refracture is very unlikely. We’ll get the medical team to assess him on camp and take away the risk as much as possible.”

  Midfielder Aaron Ramsey (calf) and goalkeeper Danny Ward (dislocated finger) have also been named in Page’s 25-man squad despite fitness issues over the pair.

  Skipper Ramsey has missed Nice’s last three games in Ligue 1.

  Page said: “The little niggle, and that’s all it is, has probably come at a good time for him.

  “He’s at an age now where he knows his body and how to manage it.

  “He’s got one eye on these two games and it is not an issue. Aaron has played more football this season than he has done for the last few years.”

  Bristol City youngster Joe Low has been called up into the senior squad for the first time to replace Lockyer.

• Reggae Girl Khadija Shaw signs two-year contract extension with Manchester City

  Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw has signed a two-year contract extension with the Women’s Super League outfit running to the summer of 2026.

  The 26-year-old Jamaica international, nicknamed ‘Bunny’, scored 31 goals in 30 City appearances in all competitions in the 2022-23 season and has netted 50 times for them in total since joining in 2021 from Bordeaux.

  Shaw said in a statement from the club: “I’m delighted to continue my journey with this amazing group.

  “Everyone made me feel welcome from the first day I came here. I enjoy the way we play and I’m at a stage now where I understand the way we play and I can only get better and grow.

  “I think here at City is the perfect place for me. I put all my effort and time on the pitch and obviously for the position I play and the quality I have around me, I know I’m going to be in positions to score goals.

  “I’ve always said Manchester feels like home away from home too. I enjoy coming into the City ground every day and training with the group, vibing with the girls and I also have family here, so Manchester has felt like home ever since I arrived.

  “I just want to thank our fans for everything, all the love and support they’ve given me since I arrived. I’ll just try my best to continue repaying them on the football pitch.”

  City boss Gareth Taylor said: “Bunny’s growth and development as a player over the past two years, but particularly this season, has been fantastic and we’re thrilled to see her extend her contract with us.

  “She has thrived having had the opportunity of extended runs in the team throughout the current campaign and has shown on a regular basis what a talent she is and why we brought her to the club.

  “She scored goals regularly in France and America prior to joining us and has now shown what she’s capable of in England too – which says a lot about her ability.

  “She is still a young player though who wants to improve and is hungry for success and we’re only scratching the surface with her which is a very exciting prospect as we aim to develop her even further over the next three years.”

• Who will be fit for the World Cup? Sarina Wiegman set to name England squad

  England boss Sarina Wiegman names her squad for this summer’s World Cup on Wednesday with injuries having been the major talking point in the build-up to the announcement.

  Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has been ruled out of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way on July 20 after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament last month.

  Fellow Euro 2022 winner Fran Kirby will also be absent due to a knee problem and Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot and was named player of the tournament for that competition, is a serious doubt as she recovers from an ACL injury sustained in November.

  Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze (both knee) have been sidelined of late as well to add to Wiegman’s worries, while one-cap goalkeeper Sandy MacIver has made herself unavailable for selection as she focuses on recovering from a groin issue.

  The injury to Williamson has prompted speculation over whether her fellow defender and predecessor as skipper Steph Houghton, who is yet to play under Wiegman, might be recalled.

  The 35-year-old was included in the provisional Euros squad last summer as she worked her way back from an Achilles operation but did not make the final cut and, while featuring regularly for Manchester City of late, she has not had further involvement with England.

  Speaking shortly before Williamson’s injury, Wiegman said the chances of Houghton making the World Cup squad were “not that high” while stressing she would “never close the door”.

  In attack, there could be a return for Bethany England, a member of the Euros-winning squad who was last called up by Wiegman for matches in September.

  The forward has scored 12 Women’s Super League goals since moving from Chelsea to Tottenham in January.

  England kick off their World Cup campaign by facing Haiti in Brisbane on July 22 and will also play Denmark and China in Group D.

  Their 30-game unbeaten run under Wiegman that included last summer’s Euros triumph on home soil, the first major trophy in the team’s history, ended in their most recent outing, when they were beaten 2-0 by Australia in Brentford last month.

  Wiegman, a runner-up at the 2019 World Cup in France with her native Netherlands, will be at a grassroots club in Birmingham for the announcement of her 23-player squad on Wednesday afternoon.

  Sutton Coldfield’s Boldmere St Michaels FC, formed in 1883, is home to 70 teams covering 18 different age groups across women’s, men’s, girls’ and boys’ football. Around 60 girls and boys are set to be taking part in half-term sessions there on Wednesday.

  The Football Association said in a statement that the location decision “follows the Lionesses’ equal access success and has been made to highlight the strong connection between the grassroots game and England teams”.

  It added: “This will reinforce the squad’s determination to positively impact participation levels, inspire future generations and also the crucial role grassroots clubs have played in the players’ development.”

  Earlier this year the Government announced a package to boost school sport and equal access to it, which followed the England squad calling for change in an open letter published just after they won the Euros last summer.

  The FA said that while that had been achieved, it remained its “strategic objective for girls to have equal access to football in the community through growing the number of girls teams within grassroots clubs and ensuring Weetabix Wildcats and Squad sessions are easily accessible”.