Fran Kirby has revealed her relief at making the England Euro 2022 squad after suffering from fatigue in the second half of the season.
The Chelsea attacker featured in the friendly against Belgium last week and it was her first game in action since February for both club and country. The 28-year-old never received a definitive diagnosis for her condition but manager Sarina Wiegman still thought that she could not leave her out of her preliminary 28-player squad and again when picking the final 23.
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"I wouldn't say that there was fear, but there was definitely relief to get selected," said Kirby.
"I never really had in the back of my mind, 'oh my god, I'm not going to get selected for the Euros now', because I just wasn't focusing my energy feeling like that.
She revealed how she returned to St George’s Park knowing that she would need to train in a “safe way” to build up her fitness. Kirby went on to praise Wiegman for all the help and support she has shown her along the way and how vital she is for the Lionesses’ ambition this summer.
"She told me that she knew all along that I was going to be an important part of this team.
"We had some really honest conversations leading into it. We said that if we both feel like I'm not ready, then we make that decision.
"She's been really good," Kirby added. "With my injury and illness history, it does take me a bit of time to recover from certain situations, or sometimes I can't do the full session. I feel like Sarina's really taken it on board and managed the load, not just for me but everyone."
Euro 2022 kicks off on Wednesday 6 July with hosts England facing Austria at a sold out Old Trafford.
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