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      Jill Scott discusses coaching passion and observing Guardiola’s and Borrell’s work at Man City

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      JILL SCOTT has opened up on her passion for coaching and hailed Pep Guardiola’s emotional intelligence. The retired City and Lionesses ace is set to coach girls and boys coming up through the ranks at Manchester City. 
      Jill Scott described coaching as one of her big passions in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap showCredit: Getty
      Scott, who won the Euros with England last July, has been discussing her plans to coach Manchester City academy playersCredit: AFP
      Scott says she took her nephews to watch a training session led by City’s Prem team boss Pep GuardiolaCredit: PA
      Scott, 36, revealed the experience of being coached at City opened up a whole new world of football to her
      The retired midfield ace was sharing her thoughts in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap Show with Sky Bet. 
      And the former Citizens star admits she gets “a real buzz” from helping youngsters. 
      Scott, who helped the Lionesses win the 2022 Women’s Euros last July, told Neville: “Coaching is a big passion of mine – I love coaching. 
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      “I even did a grassroots session the other day and I had little six-year-olds checking their shoulder before receiving the ball.
      “I just get a real buzz out of helping people.
      “I’m going to be doing a bit of coaching at Manchester City, it got blew up a bit as if I’m going to be Pep Guardiola’s assistant. 
      “That’s the media world that we’re living in. It’s going to be coaching the girls and boys academy players. 
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      “In terms of the detail that Man City provide, it’s so interesting for me. 
      “It opened this whole new world of football and that was at the age of 26.
      “I’m excited about that, I’m obsessed with passing drills. 
      “Sometimes I’ll sit around on a Friday night watching old Bayern Munich passing drills on YouTube, looking at bits of detail. 
      “I know that’s my passion but I’m not ready yet to go into a full schedule of football.
      “I’ve watched some of Pep Guardiola’s sessions, I took my nephews along to watch a session.
      “I’ll be observing the academy training in the first few weeks and seeing how they work but it’s hard to learn from Pep because he’s always a genius in his own head.
      “Sometimes you can watch a coach who is very structured, but he’s very emotionally intelligent and you’ll see his session go one way and then he’ll change it.
      “There are some coaches you can follow and some who are just a genius in their own mind.
      “There’s a lot of coaches with good detail at the academy – the assistant of Pep, Rodolfo (Borrell) we had him coach us at the women’s team – he used to work at Barcelona.
      “I hung onto every word he said on receiving the ball in the pockets.
      “I’m excited, I’m going to go in there and ask as many questions as I can because I have a lot to learn.
      “I’m nowhere near a finished article of a coach but I know I’ll work hard to get better.”
      Scott, who retired last August, ended her playing career as the second-highest capped Lioness after Fara Williams.
      The versatile former midfielder notched up 161 senior appearances for the Lionesses.
      She also won nine major trophies during her 18-year club career.
      These include a Women’s Super League title, four FA Cups and three league cups during spells at City and Everton. 
      Since retirement Scott has gone on to be crowned winner of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here as well as pundit appearances on Sky Sports and ITV Sport. 
      In February she opened a new floodlit 3G football pitch at Perth Green Community Centre in Jarrow, five miles from her hometown in Sunderland. 
      The pitch, funded via a £500,000 Football Foundation grant, is supporting the development of football for women and girls as well as individuals living with disabilities. 
      Local teams who will use the space include Boldon CA Girls FC, the club where Scott began her career as a youth player. 
      Earlier this year Scott opened a new 3G pitch in Jarrow named in her honour
      Scott’s former coach Paul Smith who is the chairman of Boldon CA Girls FC said: “It’s been a good journey for Jill but it’s also been a good journey for myself and girls football in general in the area. 
      “I think if we had not done what we’ve done, I don’t think it (girls’ football) would be as big as it is now in the area.”
      Scott revealed she could not imagine football being a part of her life and says the joy of playing the game overrode the toughest moments she experienced on the pitch. 
      She added: “It was tough being a girl and wanting to play football. I got bullied quite a lot. 
      “I remember my first day at senior school – this lad was shouting at me, ‘you must be a boy because you play football’. 
      “I went to chase after him and his friend tripped me up and I smashed my elbow into three pieces.

      “When I look back, those moments were really tough.
      “I found it really hard to open up and say how I was feeling, because especially in those early moments in my career, we were taught, ‘don’t ever show that you’re disappointed’, ‘be strong’ and all that.
      Scott made 111 appearances for Manchester City during her nine-year spell at the clubCredit: PA
      “As I’ve got older, I’ve realised that the strongest people were the ones that showed emotion and said, ‘look I’m getting bullied, I’m struggling.’ 
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      “It was tough, but then with those moments where I picked up my football boots, training and playing football, I was just so happy.
      “That feeling overrode those other things.” More

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      Arsenal on course to break UK attendance record for Women’s Champion League game with 52,000 tickets flogged

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      ARSENAL look to be on their way to setting a new attendance record for a Women’s Champions League duel at the Emirates.Ticket sales for their semis second-leg clash with Wolfsburg reached the 52,000 mark this morning according to the club.
      A record crowd is expected to watch Arsenal take on Wolfsburg at the Emirates in their Women’s Champions League semis deciderCredit: Getty
      The Gunners battled their way to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their semi-final clash with the German sideCredit: AFP
      Rafaelle netted a first-half goal for Jonas Eidevall’s aces with Stina Blackstenius scoring in the second spellCredit: AFP
      Should this number turn out for next Monday’s fixture it would see them smash the current UK record attendance for Women’s Champions League match.
      Last month they set a new record when a crowd of 21,307 watched them beat Bayern Munich in a second-leg quarter-final duel at the stadium. 
      This was broken when Chelsea hosted Barcelona at Stamford Bridge last Saturday with 27,697 fans flocking to their semi-final game.
      The Gunners’ upcoming clash with Wolfsburg takes place eight days after the team were forced to vacate a plane flying back to London following their first-leg draw away. 
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      Part of the Boeing 737 aircraft burst into flames before its 7:30 pm departure to London on Sunday 
      It is reported one of the engines caught fire when the plane was still on the runway at Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport. 
      In a statement Arsenal said the aircraft had “developed a technical issue prior to take-off”. 
      Players and backroom staff remained in Germany overnight before returning on Monday afternoon.
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      Arsenal’s second-leg duel with Wolfsburg follows Jonas Eidevall’s side sharing the spoils of a 2-2 draw with the German giants.
      His injury-hit team battled back from a two-goal deficit against the Frauen Bundesliga side with Rafaelle and Stina Blackstenius on target. 
      And they did so without the services of skipper Kim Little, vice-captain Leah Williamson and forward Caitlin Foord. 
      Little and Williamson have been sidelined for the rest of this season with hamstring and ACL injuries.
      However Foord could be set to return to action following her hamstring issue before the international break last month. 
      Gunners fans will be hoping Caitlin Foord will be available for the second-leg of their clash with WolfsburgCredit: Getty
      Defeat of Wolfsburg at the Emirates would see the Gunners reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2007. 
      Back then former boss Vic Akers led the team to win the tournament over two legs with Alex Scott netting the winner for the club, 
      The triumph saw them become the first English side to lift the Women’s Champions League trophy.  More

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      Lucy Bronze vows to ‘work hard’ to return to fitness after knee op rules her out of Women’s Champions League clash

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      LUCY BRONZE aims to return to fitness as swiftly as possible after her knee operation before Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final clash against Chelsea.Keyhole surgery on the England full-back’s right knee will see her miss her club’s second leg duel at Camp Nou on Thursday.
      Lucy Bronze will be out of action for the Women’s Champions League semi’s decider between Barcelona and ChelseaCredit: Getty
      The England ace went off injury during the second half of Barca’s 1-0 defeat of Chelsea in their first-leg clashCredit: PA
      Barcelona boss Jonatan Giraldez says the full-back has undergone a small operationCredit: Alamy
      The operation followed the Lioness star hobbling off during the Catalan giant’s 1-0 defeat of the Blues at Stamford Bridge. 
      The Barca defender, 31, came off in the 67th minute of the duel.
      She was later spotted sat on the bench with an ice pack on her right leg during the game. 
      In an update shared via her Instagram page, Bronze, wrote: “In very good spirits after my knee op yesterday. 

      “It’s never easy being sidelined, but I’m as focused as ever to work hard and return to full fitness, hopefully as soon as possible. 
      “Thank you to everyone for all of your kind messages already! I couldn’t ask for better support, so thank you
      “The hard work has already started already can’t wait to be back on the pitch with this team.”
      Bronze injury will no doubt come as a concern to England boss Sarina Wiegman as well as her club.
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      The Lionesses are contending with injuries to a number of key players ahead of this summer’s World Cup. 
      Skipper Leah Williamson and Beth Mead are currently sidelined due to ACL ruptures while Fran Kirby has been out of action since February. 
      And Chelsea’s Millie Bright is out for weeks for following a cleanout procedure of a knee cartilage lesion. 
      It is thought Bronze is likely to be absent from action for a few weeks. 
      Barcelona boss Jonatan Giraldez told reporters: “She had a blockage in her knee. We decided she should have a small operation. 
      Alexia Putellas could be set to make her return to action for Barcelona after being out of action with an ACL injury since last summerCredit: Alamy
      “It’s a tiny intervention (she will be out for) just a couple of weeks.” 
      Tomorrow’s game could see Alexia Putellas make her highly-anticipated return from an ACL injury. 
      The Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder has been out of action since last July when she sustained a knee ligament injury.  More

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      Lioness heroine Ellen White celebrates birth of baby girl and shares touching photo of her daughter and husband

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      ELLEN WHITE shared a heartwarming message in honour of her baby girl and the hospital where she welcomed her daughter. On Monday night the retired Lioness posted a picture via social media of her husband Callum Convery carrying their newborn child.
      Ellen White celebrated the arrival of a newborn baby with husband Callum ConveryCredit: Getty
      The retired England heroine shared a picture via her social media of her husband carrying their little girlCredit: Twitter: @ellsbells89
      White, 33, called time on her trophy-laden playing career last August after helping England win the Women’s Euros at Wembley in July.
      And in December the Lionesses’ record goal scorer and former Manchester City striker announced she was expecting her first child. 
      On Monday evening White shared a ‘thank you’ message to hospital staff at Tameside and Glossop Integrated NHS Foundation Trust. 
      In a post shared on Twitter and Instagram along with a photo of her husband and daughter, she wrote: “Best Daddy carrying our beautiful baby girl. 
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      “We are so utterly besotted with you and you are so blinking cute.
      “We are extremely grateful to all the professionals @tandgicft for your incredible support & dedication in helping with the safe arrival of our daughter.”
      Dozens of football fans and White’s former club and country team-mates took to Instagram to congratulate the Lionesses legend. 
      In a reply to White’s news, Man City captain Steph Houghton wrote: “So proud of you! So much love coming your way.”
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      Leicester City forward Aileen Whelan posted: “Congratulations to you both. Best days of your life are on their way.”
      Ellen White made 113 senior appearances for the Lionesses helping the team a first Euros trophy win last yearCredit: PA
      And Lucy Bronze, Hannah Hampton, Fara Williams and Caroline Weir are among the other aces who posted congratulatory messages. 
      During her 17-year senior playing career White made 113 appearances for England.
      The Buckinghamshire-born notched up 52 goals becoming the Lionesses’ all-time top scorer before hanging up her boots. More

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      Barcelona boss insists Lucy Bronze ‘is fine’ after Lionesses star limps off during duel with Chelsea

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      LUCY BRONZE gave England fans the jitters after going off injured during Barcelona’s 1-0 defeat of Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League semis.The full-back, 31, sparked concern after she dropped to the turf clutching her knee in the game’s second spell.
      Lucy Bronze appeared to be struggling with a knee issue during Barcelona’s win against Chelsea in the Champions LeagueCredit: PA
      The Barca and England full-back limped off with 23 minutes of normal time left in the game at Stamford BridgeCredit: Getty
      Caroline Graham Hansen’s first-half rocket shot saw Barcelona seal a first leg semi-final away winCredit: Getty
      The worrying moment came a day after national team-mate Leah Williamson saw her season ended early by an anterior cruciate ligament injury. 
      Bronze was substituted swiftly after receiving treatment from her club’s physios for an issue with her right knee. 
      And the Lioness was spotted with an ice pack on her knee after limping off in the 67th minute of the clash played in front of a 27,697-strong crowd at Stamford Bridge.
      But Barca boss Jonathan Giraldez suggested the issue does not appear to be serious. 
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      He said: “She felt something in her knee, but in the end it was normal and she’s fine.
      “In the moment we made the substitution it was because the feeling she had was bad. But now the feeling she has is really good. 
      The last clash between the teams saw Chelsea beaten in the Champions League final back in May 2021.
      They were blown away in a thirty-six minute four-goal blitz with Caroline Graham Hansen among the Catalan giants’ biggest threats. 
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      And she was Chelsea’s nemesis once again as Barcelona drew first blood in the semis first-leg battle.
      The Norway forward gave the visitors a fourth-minute lead with a thunderbolt finish after being given too much space to fire. 
      The visitors saw a chance to double their lead denied with Ann-Katrin Berger’s save of Geyse’s shot before Guro Reiten saw a goal ruled offside with 25 minutes gone. 
      And the Blues forward had a glorious opportunity to level with her angled shot in the box cleared off target by Bronze. 
      The second spell saw Hayes ring some changes with Lauren James among the substitutes introduced in this period and she saw an effort saved with 39 minutes of normal time left. 
      And Ann-Katrin Berger pulled off a stunning late save to deny Fridolina Rolfo with Chelsea needing to overcome a 1-0 deficit at Camp Nou this Thursday. 
      Blues boss Hayes said: “I wanted to be in the tie and we’re in the tie. Now we have to prepare again for another game.
      Emma Hayes says her team must be prepared to suffer in order to overcome Barcelona at Camp Nou next ThursdayCredit: PA
      “Their whole team is phenomenal. 
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      You have to suffer. You will be without the ball. One switch off and positional error cost us the goal.
      “I think we limited them to as few chances as we possibly could and I’ll take that going into the next game.” More

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      ‘It’s going to be tough. We’re ready to perform’, says Emma Hayes ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Barcelona

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      EMMA HAYES warns her Chelsea stars must be prepared to suffer in their bid to brush aside Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League. Her WSL titans will be targeting a Stamford Bridge win when they face Spain’s top tier leaders in a crucial first-leg semis duel. 
      Chelsea hope to pull off their first ever Women’s Champions League semis defeat of BarcelonaCredit: Reuters
      Emma Hayes’ team are set to play Spain’s league leaders in front of an estimated 25,000-strong crowd at Stamford BridgeCredit: Reuters
      Hayes says her side will need to play a perfect gameCredit: Reuters
      The Blues chief, 45, said: “It will be tough and we have to play a perfect game. 
      “We have to execute at both ends of the pitch to give ourselves the best possible chance.
      “We have the advantage of being at home but we have as much possibility as we have ever had of qualifying for a final. 
      “My message to the players is to give absolutely everything you can to doing that knowing that a final is at stake. 
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      “We are a team that are used to struggling, we know how to suffer and we’re going to have to do that for much of the game.
      “But we have a team that is ready to perform.”
      The last clash between the sides in the 2021 final saw Chelsea fall to a 4-0 defeat.
      Magda Eriksson, who played in that game, says the Blues are ready to rise to the challenge of stunning their rivals.
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      And in the lead up to this game the Blues have registered impressive results in Europe this term
      These include a quarter-final knockout of eight-time Champions League winners Lyon.
      Magda Eriksson says Chelsea are ready for the challenge posed by BarcelonaCredit: Getty
      The Chelsea captain said: “Of course the final loss a couple of years ago motivates us, but just the fact we can reach the final is motivation enough. 
      “The girls have had a really good training week.  
      “We can sense there is something special and the team is very, very together and ready for this challenge.
      Chelsea vs Barcelona can be watched live via DAZN’s YouTube channel at 12:30 pm today More

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      ‘Playing in these sorts of games is what you want’, says Barcelona ace Keira Walsh ahead of duel with Chelsea

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      KEIRA WALSH is out to prevent a historic first all-English Women’s Champions League final when Barcelona face Chelsea.Today’s lunchtime clash will be the Barca star’s maiden club match on home soil since her world-record transfer from Manchester City last summer.
      Keira Walsh says she has become more “streetwise” on the pitch following her move to BarcelonaCredit: Getty
      Walsh and her Barca team-mates have won all 25 of the games they have played so far in Spain’s top tierCredit: Getty
      Today’s match at Stamford Bridge could see Lucy Bronze in action for the LaLiga Women’s leadersCredit: Alamy
      Walsh and Lucy Bronze could be set to play at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League semis clash with the Blues.
      The match comes almost a month after Chelsea’s dramatic defeat of record contest winners Lyon on penalties. 
      Meanwhile, Arsenal visit German side Wolfsburg tomorrow in the first leg of their semi-final
      Walsh said: “I’ve not played in a Champions League semi-final for a long time so on a personal note, it is really exciting. 
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      “Although it would be good for English women’s football if there were two English teams in the final, Lucy and me will be trying our best to prevent that from happening. 
      “We’re playing for Barcelona and with the kind of objectives we have here, we want to be in that game (the final).
      “Playing in these sorts of games is what you want and it’s the reason why I signed for Barcelona.”
      The last time the football titans went toe-to-toe was in May 2021 when Chelsea fell to a heavy 4-0 Champions League final loss. 
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      However both sides have seen a number of players depart and arrive.
      These include Lauren James who has emerged as one of the Blues’ most formidable forwards since her July 2021 move from Manchester United.  
      Walsh added: “The girls will take confidence from the experience they had in the last final. 
      “They played really well, scored a lot of goals and created chances so they can draw on that experience
      “But it is two completely different teams this time around and a lot of different players for both sets of team. In that sense, it is a new challenge.
      “We’ve been preparing for this the whole week. 
      “People look at our scorelines in the Spanish league and think that the games aren’t that competitive
      “But in our first half against Atletico Madrid last weekend it wasn’t an easy game. 
      “It was man for man and it was hard to try to figure it out (to break them down) until the second half (of our 4-0 win). 
      “I think those sorts of games are competitive so they do prepare you.”
      Today’s clash will be followed by a second-leg duel on Thursday night at Spotify Camp Nou. 
      Chelsea will be aiming to stop Walsh and Patri Guijarro taking control in midfieldCredit: Alamy
      And it could see Walsh pulling the strings alongside midfield stars Aitana Bonmati and Patri Guijarro.
      She added: “One thing they’ve really pushed me on here is being more aggressive and being a bit more streetwise in terms of when to make fouls and let play carry on. 
      “For me, that’s a side that I’ve really improved on and something that Jonatan (Giraldez – Barcelona’s head coach) spoke to me about. 
      “I also combine a lot more in midfield.
      At Manchester City we’d like to keep possession and keep the ball, but it wasn’t necessarily a lot of short passes in the midfield.
      Barcelona lifted their first Women’s Champions League trophy when they beat Chelsea in the final in May 2021Credit: AP
      “It was a case of getting the ball wide to the wingers.

      “But they always want me to try and find Patri and Aitana and play short passes. a
      “I feel like I’ve improved defensively and become a bit more aggressive.” More

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      Lionesses captain and Arsenal ace Leah Williamson to miss World Cup and rest of domestic season

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      LEAH WILLIAMSON has “had her tears and made her peace” with her season coming to an end following an injury blow. The Lionesses’ captain, 26, will miss the World Cup and the rest of Arsenal’s games this term after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage. 
      Leah Williamson’s ACL injury has brought her season to an end three months before the World CupCredit: AP
      The Arsenal centre-back and England skipper sustained a knee injury during the Gunners’ midweek loss to Man United in the WSLCredit: PA
      Williamson is set for an extended spell out of action and is due to undergo surgeryCredit: Getty
      The Gunners and England centre-back sustained the injury before her club’s crunch Champions semis clash with Wolfsburg on Sunday. 
      She limped off during the first half of Arsenal’s 1-0 loss away to Manchester United on Wednesday after appearing to jar her knee whilst challenging for the ball. 
      In a statement on Friday the club said the player is set for an “extended spell on the sidelines” and would “undergo surgery in due course”. 
      Via her Instagram account, Williamson wrote: “Unfortunately the World Cup and Champions League dream is over for me.
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      “Everyone will think that’s the main focus, but it’s the day to day of what I’m about to go through that is the most draining of my thoughts.
       “I had my tears and made my peace with it the night it happened.
      “Since then I have been following the steps I’m told to, in order to best help myself in the short and long term.  
      “Ultimately, I think it’s just my time.
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      “In the past couple of years alone I have watched teammates beat serious illnesses and adversity with the biggest of smiles on their faces. 
      “I also hold perspective that globally there are much greater difficulties and therefore my circumstances right now are just that, circumstantial, and I’ve seen a lot worse.”
      Williamson joins Kim Little, Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema on the sidelines with the crocked Arsenal trio seeing their seasons ended prematurely.  
      Her injury is also a significant setback for England with Lionesses vice-captain Millie Bright currently recovering from a knee issue. 
      A number of Williamson’s club and country team-mates took to social media with messages of support for the player. 
      In a post published via her Twitter account, Mead wrote: “We are with you every step of the wayeven if I have to be quiet some days in rehab.
      “We got you, all the love and strength in the world. 
      And Man United’s Ella Toone said she “was right behind” her England team-mate. 
      Williamson, who has 41 senior international caps, pledged to continue giving her all for club and country.
      The defender, who has 41 senior Lionesses caps, added: “I haven’t had a day since last October when I’ve walked on to the pitch without a physical or mental question mark over me, and that’s professional sports. 
      “So now I have to listen to my body, give it what it needs and if everything happens for a reason, then we’ll see what road this turn sends me down.

      “I have given and will continue to give everything that my body, mind and heart possibly has to the Arsenal and Lionesses. 

      “I will still be there through thick and thin for all of my teammates and their biggest supporter.
      “I feel your love and support, so thank you! All I ask is for a little bit of time and space to deal with all that is to come.” More