'Staying was easy. Manchester just feels like home'

Kerstin Casparij on her new City contract, Gareth Taylor's obsessive levels of detail and her excitement for Euro 2025

- Suzanne Wrack

The Manchester City full-back Kerstin Casparij grins when her girlfriend, Ruth Brown, is asked whether she can keep up with the elite athlete when they go on runs together in the off-season: "Yes, I can slow down for her," Brown quips, remarkably straight-faced.

Life is good for Casparij and Brown. They have bought a house in Manchester which, bar the new sofa hunt, they have nearly finished decorating; their cats, Kiwi and Mango, have got to grips with the stairs after moving from their flat and have picked out their favourite window sills for lounging on; and they recently completed the cooperative video game It Takes Two. When we sit down over coffee in London, they are arguing over who has to deal with the giblets when they cook for Casparij's family on Christmas Day and are getting ready to host their families together, for the first time, on Boxing Day.

Casparij's new contract to 2027 ensures a happy work-life balance will be maintained and her decision to sign the two-year extension this month was motivated, too, by a sense of unfinished business in her third season at the club. "It was quite easy to be fair," says the 24-year-old defender.

"When Gaz [the manager Gareth Taylor] initially spoke about it, I was instantly like: 'Yeah, let's get that done then. Let's get that over the line.' I wasn't really interested in going anywhere - I just didn't feel like my time at City was over yet. I feel like I still have a lot more to achieve. I want to achieve with the club but also, I feel I have a lot of space to grow, and I think City is the perfect place to do that."