England’s Esme Morgan has spoken ahead of the Lionesses’ first fixtures back following their triumph at the European Championships in the summer. England will face Brazil and then Australia in two friendly matches.
00:00European champions England are set to return to action for the first time since their triumph
00:09at the European Championships with two friendlies on home soil first against Brazil on Saturday
00:15and then against Australia on Tuesday evening. Esme Morgan has previewed the tie with Brazil
00:23and reflected on what it has been like to be back with her national squad teammates.
00:30I mean it's nice seeing all of the branding which says European champions 2022 and 2025 it's pretty special and even just them walking through the main entrance and seeing the trophies with the picture of the lift behind it is just brings a smile it's really nice to see everyone and be able to reminisce over fun little moments that we had mostly away from the pitch is what sticks out but it's just nice to catch up and be able to enjoy and celebrate what we achieved.
01:00Because you didn't get much chance to celebrate did you? You were you know not long afterwards back on the plane to the US with the season still going on so I guess a bit more chance for you to reflect back?
01:12Yeah it was a bit surreal like I flew back the day after the parade so going from being on a bus in front of 65,000 people down the mile to then just feeding my cat again was like swift come back down to earth.
01:26But it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed being back because all the girls in America are so lovely and really like celebrated it with me and made me feel special but yeah it's nice to be able to come back here because it kind of brings home what happened because obviously I didn't have much time to let it sink in so it's been fun.
01:44And I guess now it's all about looking to the future. We know though that that future will be without Millie Bright. What were your feelings on hearing the fact that she is retiring from international football?
01:58Yeah I was sad. I love Millie so much. She's such an incredible teammate. I remember when I first came into the squad she made me feel so welcome. Really made an effort to get to know me and help me feel included and settled and a part of it.
02:12And she's an amazing player too. I always say she's a rock because she's such a reliable dependable presence at the back and we're going to miss her a lot.
02:22I feel very very grateful to have been able to share time in the England squad alongside her to be able to create memories together and learn from her both on and off the pitch in the way that she carries herself around the team.
02:35And the way that she fights for things to be better and has a lot of passion for everyone in the squad achieving their best.
02:44And so I've enjoyed learning from her in that sense and then on the pitch she's such an incredible defender so I feel like I've taken a lot from seeing that up close too.
02:53So yeah we'll miss her a lot and just want to congratulate her on such an incredible career really.
02:58And in terms of these games coming up, the first of which against Brazil, how important do you see these games and how special that this first game is at the Etihad?
03:08A chance for you to go back to your old stomping grounds?
03:13Yeah it's very exciting for me being a lifelong City fan. It should be a great occasion I think.
03:20It's a special time for us to be able to come back and be in front of our fans again and celebrate what we did over the summer with those who possibly couldn't have got out to Switzerland themselves.
03:30So we want to carry on the joyful feeling that the summer created and put in some good performances, hopefully get some good results and as I say just keep that happy momentum going.
03:40You were talking about reflecting on the Euros win.
03:44I just wonder if you had time to reflect on your own performances because I thought you really stood out and performed really well in the tournament.
03:51Thank you, yeah a little bit. I think when you're just in the games you kind of just put one to bed and then go on to the next.
03:59So not too much but I felt really good going back to club off the back of that, feeling confident in my performances and the way I was able to contribute in those latter stages.
04:09And I feel really proud that I stayed ready through the tournament so that I could make an impact in the quarterfinal.
04:16So yeah I was really proud of it and I feel like it gave me a big boost going back into club and I've sort of carried that momentum then since.
04:25The fixtures against Brazil and then against Australia will certainly be difficult for England.
04:30But as the two time European champions now they will certainly have their sights set on returning to action in front of their home supporters with two positive results for them to cheer.
Be the first to comment