Manchester United boss Marc Skinner hailed goalkeeper Mary Earps’ character following the Lionesses unprecedented finish in this year's Ballon d’Or Feminin awards.
Earps placed fifth amongst this year’s nominees, with Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati taking home the crown as the year’s best women’s footballer.
No goalkeeper has ever finished so high in the competition’s rankings.
And Skinner believed the latest boon to be awarded the 30-year-old is testament not only to the shot-stopper’s standard-raising performances between the sticks for club and country but her steadfast character.
“I'm really proud of her, it's not only performance but character,” Skinner said.
“And I know all of the good things that are coming to Mary have been long in the working for her.
“It almost seems that each week I'm going, ‘Right, Mary’s got this, Mary’s got that’. It’s alright to win something one-off but the consistency of being up for nominations… you’re not always going to win everything but to finish the highest place a goalkeeper has finished in the Ballon d’Or.”
He added: “It is a glamorous position, in the public eye it might not seem like it, but to finish that high in a voting system just shows her consistency. I think that’s what has been the key to Mary, her consistency on and off the field has been wonderful and it's given us a consistency in our performance as well.”
Earps was the subject of fierce conjecture over the summer amid a protracted contract saga with United. The keeper, who key in the club's historic second-place finish in the WSL last season, was reportedly searching for an exit after negotiations over a possible extension reached a standstill.
Domestic rivals Arsenal put in a world-record bid for a keeper for
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