Leah Williamson 'so happy' for England to face Ireland at the Aviva
Leah Williamson is prone to crying but it’s shedding tears of anguish she’s keen to avoid during England’s defence of their crown.
This week last year, the Arsenal defender was visualising the World Cup ahead with the mission of adding another trophy to the Euros she’d captained her homeland to in 2022.
Then her ACL ruptured and the trip to Australia switched from player to support staff, as England came up one short against Spain in the final.
Sarina Wiegman has taken her time to reintegrate her skipper but confirmed Williamson will exchange pennants with clubmate Katie McCabe in the centre-circle of the Lansdowne Road surface.
Most likely she’ll revive her partnership with Alex Greenwood in central-defence, with Gunners teammate Lotte Wubben-Moy making way from the team that drew their opener against Sweden 1-1 on Friday.
“The level in this team is so high,” the 27-year-old said about finally reclaiming her spot.
“Especially within my unit, the options and versatility are so good. I knew, coming back in, there was pressure to reach a certain level which I’ve been chasing the whole time.
“Whenever I play for England - we have had so many different games against different opposition - being a successful team puts a target on your back.
“We often meet teams who really, really want to beat us but I always trust that we want to beat them more.
“From a footballing perspective, this will be a great occasion.
“I am so happy that the game is at this stadium. This many people coming to watch women’s football is a huge credit to what Ireland have done over the last couple of years as well. We must enjoy that.
“Ireland will be really disciplined in the way that they defend, as they were against France.
“It’ll be a test
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