Earps leaves Lionesses with big gloves to fill

Goalkeeper's surprise international retirement has fans questioning the timing of her decision but not the commitment or energy she has given to the England shirt

- Suzanne Wrack

The news of Mary Earps's retirement from international football has been met with a cacophony of views, ranging from shock and disappointment to sadness and anger. That the decision to step away has prompted such emotional responses, coming less than six weeks before the first game of England's European Championship defence, is a testament to her popularity and the standing she has in the game.

Earps's international career has been a rollercoaster, which hit a low when she was dropped by Phil Neville in March 2020. The goalkeeper thought it was a one-off, that she would be back, but she was omitted from the next squad, then the next, and it was not until Sarina Wiegman arrived as head coach that things took an upward turn. In that year away from the international game she thought she would never pull on the shirt again, and that took an emotional and mental toll.

No one, least of all Earps, could have predicted what would lie ahead. Injuries to Karen Bardsley and Ellie Roebuck opened the door for Earps to start under Wiegman and she grabbed the opportunity. She went from third-choice goalkeeper at the 2019 World Cup in France and out in the cold in 2020 to the No 1 for the Lionesses at the home Euros in 2022.