AGGIE BEEVER-JONES relished watching Chelsea stars, including England vice captain Millie Bright, training at Cobham during her Blues academy days.
Playing in the Lionesses’ senior team is among the ambitions for the uncapped striker following her call-up to Sarina Wiegman’s squad.
The Blues starlet, who shone during Chelsea’s charge to a seventh Women’s Super League title, is ready to give if that dream comes true when England take on France this Friday.
But she is also content to bide her time and focus on developing and under the guidance of Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman
Beever-Jones, 20, said: “It’s what dreams are made of as young kids, and I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself,
“I’m just focusing on what I can control, and training well, and then we’ll see what happens.
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“But it’s definitely the dream, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
“Obviously we just want to come away with the win, which is the main thing.
“I was very fortunate enough to come through the Chelsea Academy.
“I’d always go to Cobham and you’d see the first team training across the pitches and I’ve always thought I want that to be me.
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“I’d have chats with my Chelsea coaches back in the day who I still see now and it’s kind of full circle to see them.
“I always said to them, ‘I want to be that one who takes that step and gets into the first team.”
Like her pals Grace Clinton and Khiara Keating, who have made the leap from England Under-23s, Beever-Jones took the WSL by storm last term.
The Surrey-born striker netted 11 goals in 17 top-flight games, including 11 appearances as a substitute, helping the Blues march to a fifth successive WSL title.
The player’s efforts were rewarded with her being named in Wiegman’s squad before the Lionesses’ back-to-back Euros qualifier clashes with France on Friday and June 4.
For Beever-Jones the call-up brought back memories of the ambitions she harboured as a player in the Lionesses youth sides.
She adds: “I’ve always loved playing for England throughout the whole academy set-up.
“I was originally in the Under-14s and to see the progress the game has made is obviously such a great feeling.
“To be a part of that as well is a very good feeling. Playing for England is the dream.
“The quality of the team is a joke and every single one of those players are world class players.
“For me, I’ve had a few chats with Sarina at previous camps about where she’s seen me, the improvement she’s seen and what she wants me to work on.
“And I think it’s just having that good communication and that foundation to build on.
“I’ve had a few chats with her. They’ve been positive and we’re just ready to take the next step and hopefully I can help the team.”
Aside from shining for her club, the England starlet also impressed for the young Lionesses last season.
The team went unbeaten in an eight-game Under 23s European League between last September and this April.
Among those Beever-Jones sees as key in helping pave the way for her current success for club and country is Emma Hayes.
The striker made her senior Blues debut under the former Chelsea chief, who is now the USA’s women’s boss, during a 4-0 league match win against Aston Villa in January 2021.
I owe a lot of my success to Emma (Hayes). I want to be able to show what I can do in high-pressure situations.
Aggie Beever-Jones
Last term saw Beever-Jones experience the highs and lows of the club’s battle to win a seventh WSL title.
The league crown almost slipped from their grasp following a surprise 4-3 loss to Liverpool this month before Chelsea battled to an end-of-season triumph on goal difference.
And she credits Hayes with helping to thrive in high pressure situations.
The England starlet said: “I owe a lot of my success to Emma (Hayes).
“What she’s done for the women’s game speaks for itself.
“I remember she once said that for some people the weight of the (Chelsea) badge is too heavy.
“I recall listening to that and I thought I want to be able to show what I can do in high-pressure situations.
“I credit a lot of my success to the whole of Chelsea and bringing me up from a young kid, helping me develop and get the goals and help the team as best as I can.
“For me, I’m always striving for more and the next thing.
This Friday Wiegman’s Euros champs take on Les Bleues at St James’s Park before an away clash in Saint Etienne, France next Tuesday.
Both teams are chasing automatic qualification for next year’s Euros with France currently top of their group in League A.
And the sides that finish in the top two spots following the qualifiers will automatically claim a spot in next year’s tournament in Switzerland.
Among the players who could feature against France on Friday is Beever-Jones’s club captain Bright.
The Chelsea centre-back has returned to England’s squad for the first time since last October following a lengthy spell out with a knee injury.
And Beever Jones sees Bright’s return to international duty as a big boost for England.
The team’s match against France could potentially see Bright and Leah Williamson appear together for England for the first time since England’s 6-1 hammering of Belgium last February.
Beever-Jones adds: “Millie is someone I’ve always looked up to and she’s such a great person before everything else that comes on the pitch.
“And she’s looking after me here (with England) and making sure I’m working hard on the pitch.
“Especially with her injury in the past year I think it has been a really tough year for Millie.
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“Having her back in this squad and at Chelsea, everyone can see how much of a player she is and how she can help the team massively.
“She’s just a great team-mate and a great footballer.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
