Ella Toone insists England are still well-equipped to triumph at the World Cup
Ella Toone has stressed that England are heading into this summer’s World Cup still well equipped to thrive despite the setbacks from injuries that have been ‘really hard to deal with’.
Skipper Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby have been ruled out of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand through injuries, while Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot and player of the tournament when the team won the European Championship last year, may also be missing.
Toone, the opener’s scorer in the 2-1 win over Germany after extra time that lifted the trophy at Wembley, told the PA news agency: ‘The injuries are really hard to take.
“Nobody ever wants to see teammates and other players have such serious injuries. So it was tough, and players who are a big part of our roster.
“But we have to focus on what we have, and that’s so much talent in the squad. There are now young girls in the team who have an incredible amount of talent.
Ella Toone has said England have enough quality to triumph at this summer’s World Cup
The Lionesses will be without Captain Leah Williamson after tearing her ACL
Beth Mead will also miss having established herself as one of the key players on the squad
“So I think for us it’s about going there, having faith in ourselves and each other, and hopefully we can make the nation proud again.
“We know what it takes to win a trophy and how it feels once you win it, and we want that feeling so often for our country. So it’s about going there with that belief, believing in the team, believing in ourselves, and just playing the football we love.
“We know we have a target on our backs now, but I think we thrive on that as players.”
England’s long unbeaten run under boss Sarina Wiegman came to an end in their most recent appearance, last month’s 2-0 defeat to Australia in Brentford.
Toone sees the defeat as “something useful” and adds: “We lost, and that’s part of football. I think you learn so much from games like that, and it probably came at a perfect time for us. It’s certainly not a concern, and we’ll learn from it.’
The 23-year-old Manchester United star was speaking at the unveiling of the ‘Ella Toone Pitch’ at the new William Fosters Hub in Ince, Wigan, a short distance from her hometown of Tyldesley.
It is one of 23 Football Foundation-funded pitches that will be named after each of the lionesses of last summer’s European Championship victory, with Jill Scott’s being the first to be unveiled in February.
The pitches are part of the Football Foundation’s ‘HERe to Play’ campaign, which celebrates the charity’s commitment to providing facilities that provide equal access to women and girls who play football.
Toone said, “It’s great. Growing up and starting my football journey, I never imagined a pitch would be named after me – it’s an honour.’
Developments since the Euros also include the Football Association reporting higher female participation rates, and the announcement of a government package to boost school sport and equal access to it, as well as record attendance at women’s matches.
On the overall picture of the impact the European Championship victory has had, Toone said: ‘It was great. I think that’s what it was all about for us – obviously we wanted to win the tournament, but how can we really help women’s football grow?
“After the win, it blew up big time, but for us it’s about keeping our foot on the gas and using our platforms the best we can to really grow the game. I think for us it’s always about equal access for girls and boys and hopefully we can get many people to play football.’
Toone scored England’s first goal in last summer’s European Championship victory against Germany
Toone said that after the success of the past 12 months, the squad will have a target on their back
The unveiling of the 3G pitch came as the government announced £64 million funding, in partnership with its Football Foundation partners, the Premier League and the FA, to build and upgrade 1,600 grassroots sports sites across England this year .
Facilities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from £3.8m invested by the government in partnership with the FAs in each home country.
The Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport said at least 50 percent of the investment will be spent in underprivileged areas.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer told PA: ‘It’s really on the rise across the country. It’s really important because some young people want to be the next Ella Toone, Harry Kane or Jill Scott, and these facilities will enable them to do so.”