Lucy Bronze admitted Mary Earps' decision to retire from England duty is "difficult to take" but hailed the impact the goalkeeper has made as the number one.
Earps announced her shock retirement from international football last week, less than six weeks before England launched their European Championship title defence.
The 32-year-old earned 53 caps for her country and played a starring role during the Lionesses' Euro 2022 triumph as well as their run to the 2023 World Cup final.
She won the Best FIFA Goalkeeper award in both years but had recently lost her starting place to Chelsea's Hannah Hampton.
England head coach Sarina Wiegman had said she was "disappointed" by Earps' decision to hang up her gloves, but Bronze was not surprised by the announcement.
"I think I was the first person she called," Bronze said. "I was probably in the know before everyone else, just because we have such a good bond and connection.
"You think of players who know what it means to play for England, and Mary was right at the top. Her career for England has been fantastic.
"The news was difficult to take as team-mates because we all love Mary, we all want her to be here. But as a friend, we all accept her decision and celebrate her and everything she's done for this team.
"Then we just have to look forward. We've got fantastic goalkeepers here, and Mary has left a legacy that means they're all in a great position. They're all prepared because they've had a great mentor to learn from.
"Hopefully, the goalkeepers that we have now can live in that energy and enjoy the fact they worked alongside such a great professional, and they can bring that to the team as well."
England will likely have Millie Bright back for their Euro 2025 campaign, after the Chelsea captain withdrew from the squad for their Nations League matches due to feeling 바카라burnt out바카라.
Bright played in 21 of Chelsea's 22 Women's Super League matches in 2024-25, with only Hampton (1,980) playing more minutes than the defender (1,823) in the squad.
Across all competitions, she made 36 appearances for the Blues this season as they claimed a domestic treble.
Bronze said she had been in touch with her Chelsea team-mate, and believes it was a "brave" decision to speak about her reasons for pulling out of the squad.
"Millie is a really big personality and player for England and for Chelsea," Bronze added.
"She's missed in terms of what she brings both on and off the pitch. She's one of the leaders in the team, not just because she's the oldest, but because of her experience, her attributes as a person.
"We've all spoken to Millie through the week, we're all friends with her, and we've offered her our support. We want to make sure she's OK.
"Physically and mentally, it's been a tough season for everyone, but having spent every day with Millie, she's someone who is quite tough and maybe holds a lot in. It's been brave for her to come out and speak.
"From a friend perspective, I just want her to be OK and give her as much time as she needs to feel OK again."
