Aston Villa midfielder Lucy Staniforth on standby for Lionesses
Villa’s Lucy Staniforth has been added to England’s standby list in place of Jess Park ahead of the Women’s World Cup.
The 30-year-old midfielder travelled to St George’s Park yesterday to join up with the squad after Park returned to Manchester City for rehabilitation on a shoulder injury.
Staniforth joins Maya Le Tissier on standby, with the pair due to remain with the group until their opening match of the tournament against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22. The Lionesses face Portugal in a friendly at a sold-out Stadium MK on Saturday before flying to Australia on Wednesday, July 5.
Meanwhile, England forward Alessia Russo felt she was not strong enough to play football at the highest level after losing weight during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 24-year-old is set to play a key part for the Lionesses at this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
However, in an interview with Women’s Health magazine, the former Manchester United player opened up about her “low point” after losing weight using a calorie-counting app.
She said: “In lockdown, it was tough. I was training on my own, I was home and I lost quite a bit of weight. Then I signed for Man United soon after lockdown. And within about six weeks, I completely tore my hamstring, (which I) could only relate back to losing a lot of weight because I’ve never had a muscle injury before.”
