England captain Millie Bright has been cleared to start the Lionesses' Women's World Cup opener against Haiti on Saturday in a significant boost for coach Sarina Weigman.
Bright injured her knee in Chelsea's Champions League quarterfinal first leg with Lyon in March, limiting her preparation time for the tournament being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
바카라I'm grateful that I'm able to play and super excited to be here,바카라 she said Friday. 바카라I was surrounded by the best people, so I was very confident in my recovery. I've been given absolutely everything that I needed to be in this position.바카라
Injuries have plagued the Lionesses, who won the European Championship last year, in their lead-up to the Women's World Cup. Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and Leah Williamson, who were all projected starters for the team, have been ruled out.
바카라Unfortunately, injuries are a part of football,바카라 said Bright, who replaced Williamson as captain for the tournament. 바카라We have to look forward and move forward. We have an amazing group of players and staff, and everyone has stepped up. We're ready to go.바카라
While injuries have been a disruption to preparations, a dispute with the English Football Association regarding bonus payments and commercial arrangements has also hung over the squad.
This week, England's players released a collective statement saying negotiations had been paused in order to concentrate on the tournament. But they said they would still seek a resolution over an issue that was 바카라key for the growth of women's football in England.바카라
바카라Obviously it's not a situation everyone wants to be in, but I think as players we are not just programmed to play football,바카라 said Bright. 바카라Sometimes we have to have these conversations, but we have a very professional group and football is always at the front of everything.바카라
"We've accepted everything is on hold with those discussions and we will address the situation at a later date. For now, it is all about the tournament.바카라
Her comments were echoed by Wiegman, who guided England to victory at the Euros last year and is aiming to complete a trophy double at the World Cup.
바카라When on the pitch, we are on the pitch and everyone is aligned and everyone is focused on football,바카라 she said. 바카라I haven't seen any other behaviour.바카라 Â
