Leah: 'We know what direction we’re going in'

“It’s something that you know, every time you’re picked for England and pick up a shirt, you’re only borrowing it and then putting it back and you hope you’ll get a chance to step into it again.”

Wise words, and it’s a perspective which Leah Williamson revealed she has lived by throughout her international career so far with the Lionesses.

Last month’s win over South Africa in Coventry saw the England captain reach a half-century of caps, with the defender having been one of the key figures in the squad over the last few years.

And after having a month to reflect on the achievement of winning 50 caps, Williamson spoke of her pride at the landmark as she joined Sarina Wiegman’s squad for their final two games of the year against USA and Switzerland.

“It’s lovely to have reached it of course it’s something I’m proud of,” said Williamson, during a break from training at St. George’s Park this week.

“But what people don’t always see is that it’s also taken a lot to get there.

“It’s been a crazy few years and I’ve also been off the pitch for a long time within that, so it was just nice to be able to celebrate a moment like that with the people around you, a lot of who have been on a similar journey.

“Having the game at home was great too, being able to have my family there with me to see it is something none of us will forget.”

With England’s focus now turning towards next year’s UEFA Nations League and Women’s EURO Finals, the Lionesses have another two tests to look forward to following the games with Germany and South Africa last month.

With Wiegman already revealing these games will be an opportunity to experiment, Williamson very much believes that’s a good approach to take.

“Part of the plan is to keep testing ourselves against different opposition and trying different things to see what we need to work on,” added the 27 year old.

“Hopefully, we can get some confidence from those things we’re on a good track with.

“It’s also tough, because we know what direction we’re going in from the inside, but does it always match the results? Maybe not.

“As a player, everyone knows in a tournament year that it’s in the back of your head and everything that you’re doing is to be ready, not just for tomorrow but also to be better next summer. That’s the mindset that everybody takes.

“It’s exciting, there’s going to be 80,000 people there at Wembley for the USA game and these are the occasions which we love playing in.”

With a chance to experiment, Wiegman has also added a number of new faces to her squads in the last two camps with younger players looking to break into the team.

And Williamson, who came into the senior set up as a youngster herself back in 2018, says the more experienced players in the group are always there to offer support.

“I’d like to think they could turn to any of the experienced players in the group,” she explained.

“There’s plenty of experienced players in the squad, and I still haven’t stopped leaning on them for support.

“In my career, that’s never been something I was shy about, diving into the set up and learning from those around them so I hope that’s the same for those coming in now.”