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England women's Jordan Nobbs part of World Cup preparations despite long-term injury

England vice-captain Jordan Nobbs will still play a part in the squad's preparations for this summer's World Cup in France despite injury ruling her out of the tournament.

Arsenal midfielder Nobbs suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in November and will not be available for the SheBelievesCup -- a tournament which includes hosts United States, Japan and Brazil -- which starts on Feb. 27.

However the assistant to England women's head coach Phil Neville, Bev Priestman, said they are still including the 26-year-old in decisions because of her leadership qualities, despite her not travelling to the U.S.

"She's still part of our captains' group, so instead of her not being involved at all, she contributes," Priestman said. "It's a leadership group of players that we use as a sort of two-way conduit between the players and the staff, making sure the environment gets the best out of them.

"She's certainly still a big part of this team.If we have meet-up days in England, commercial days where she can be in and around the team, we get her in. The girls love having her around and she's been in and around the environment because we see her as part of this team moving forward. 

"It would be short-sighted to move on without Jordan with [the Women's Euros in England in] 2021, [Tokyo Olympics] 2020 in mind."

Manchester City midfielder Jill Scott has withdrawn from the U.S. tournament in order to work on her fitness, and Priestman said the absence of the duo will present a "big opportunity" for others, including Brisbane Roar forward Chioma Ubogagu.

England begin their World Cup campaign with a clash against Scotland on June 9.

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