England defender Millie Bright has knee surgery after ruling herself out of Euros

Chelsea defender Millie Bright has had a knee operation a day after the England international made herself unavailable for selection for this summer’s European Championships.

The 31-year-old centre-back withdrew from selection for Euro 2025 on Wednesday, saying she was unable to “give 100% mentally or physically” in what she described as “one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make”.

“Chelsea can confirm defender Millie Bright has today undergone minor knee surgery,” said the Stamford Bridge club.

“Millie will begin a period of rehabilitation with the support of the club’s medical department.”

In a message on social media, Bright added that it had been a “successful op” and now the “road to recovery begins”.

Bright helped Chelsea win the domestic treble of Women’s Super League, FA Cup and League Cup in the 2024-25 season, making 36 appearances in all competitions.

Capped 88 times for England, Bright was captain when they were beaten by Spain in the 2023 World Cup final.

Last month, when she withdrew from England’s squad for June’s Nations League games, the Football Association said the centre-back’s absence was because she was taking “an extended period of recovery”, before she later cited burnout as the reason for her decision.

Bright then became the third high-profile England player to rule themselves out of the Euros – which are being hosted in Switzerland from 2-27 July – following the retirements of goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby in the past week.

England manager Sarina Wiegman named her 23-player squad for the Euros on Thursday and said “there is no crisis”, despite the loss of three players with a combined 217 caps between them.