England winger Chloe Kelly has returned to Arsenal for treatment on a foot injury and will not participate in the upcoming Nations League double header against Belgium.
Manager Sarina Wiegman confirmed on Thursday Kelly's withdrawal from Friday's fixture at Ashton Gate. Further assessment deemed that the 27-year-old would be unable to recover in time for Tuesday's clash with the Red Flames in Leuven.
England have faced a string of injuries in recent months with veterans Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway all ruled out with knee injuries, while youngsters Ruby Mace and Laura Blindkilde-Brown were both unavailable for this camp.
Wiegman's side were lifted by Beth Mead and Fran Kirby's return to the squad ahead of the decisive fixtures. Kirby has since been deemed unavailable for the home leg of the double header, but Wiegman is hopeful the Brighton midfielder will be back in time for the second fixture.
Kelly was initially excluded from last month's camp due to a lack of minutes ahead of her loan move to Arsenal. She was called up as a replacement for Mead and has continued to pursue a secure place in the England team, gaining minutes at Arsenal in both the WSL and Champions League.
England are second in Group A3 after a 1-1 draw with Portugal and a 1-0 win over reigning world champions Spain during the last international break.
Wiegman will be hopeful that her cohort of injured players including Kelly -- who scored the infamous winning goal of the 2022 Euros -- will return in time for their title defending campaign in Switzerland in July.