The great Maya Le Tissier debate: Why Sarina Wiegman is facing fire from Man Utd, Ian Wright and more over England defender’s role

Given she has been an unused substitute for 12 of England’s 13 games in 2025, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if Maya Le Tissier didn’t feature for the Lionesses during their October international window – and yet, the Manchester United captain has come into camp as one of the most talked about names of the 24 Sarina Wiegman has selected for games against Brazil and Australia. Why? Because the England boss’ perspective on the 23-year-old is very different to that of the majority.

That has been evident for a while, but was re-emphasised last week when Wiegman faced the media after naming her first squad since the Lionesses’ triumph at the 2025 European Championship in the summer. When quizzed on what position she sees as Le Tissier’s best, the Dutchwoman reiterated the stance she has always had: “She plays centre-back every single [club] game and I think she has good performances, but I also think that, for us, her first position still is the right full-back position.”

It sparked a frenzy on social media, particularly after the United social media admin, somewhat incredibly, got involved. “Maya Le Tissier has started 104 games for United,” a post on the club’s official X account read. “103 of them have been at centre-back.” Ian Wright, meanwhile, took to Instagram to note that he simply didn’t “understand” Wiegman’s point of view, calling Le Tissier “the most consistent” English centre-back in the Women’s Super League.

It’s become a very contentious topic and one even more relevant given the circumstances of the Lionesses’ first camp since the Euros.