I'll leave goalscoring to others - Lucy Bronze

20 January 2017 09:54

World Cup hero Lucy Bronze is happy to leave the goalscoring heroics to her England Women team-mates this year as they count down to Euro 2017.

Two years ago in Canada, defender Bronze was pushed into an unfamiliar midfield role and scored two crucial goals as England reached the World Cup semi-finals.

She was such a hit that Bronze was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

Now she is battling Alex Scott to nail down the right-back position in Mark Sampson's team for the summer tournament in Holland, as England chase trophy success.

And after being named the Women's Super League player of the year in November, having helped Manchester City to their first WSL title, Bronze stands every chance of playing a key role for the Lionesses again.

Speaking in La Manga, where England's planned warm-weather training has been disrupted by heavy snow and rain storms, Bronze explained the strength of the belief within head coach Mark Sampson's camp.

"We trained on Wednesday in the snow and on Thursday it just rained, but we're English, we're used to the rain. We had fitness training in the snow, but everyone wants to do it because everyone wants to get better and we're really focused to do well at the Euros," Bronze told Press Association Sport .

"Mark has said it's possibly one of the strongest England teams we've had going into a tournament and it's 100 per cent the best preparation we've had going in, so I can see why so many of us believe we can do well.

"I'm playing further and further back, I don't think Mark wants me to score the goals anymore. I'll leave it to other people to do it these days.

"Obviously I want to do well this year with England and keep improving. I'm still youngish, I've not hit my peak yet. I've still got plenty of goals to aim for, although I think I hit my other targets quite early in my life."

Bronze, 25, is set to play a part in England's friendlies against Norway on Sunday and Sweden on Tuesday.

The games in Spain see England tackle two sides ranked fourth and fifth in Europe, with Sweden narrowly ahead of their Scandinavian rivals.

England sit third among the continent's elite, according to the FIFA rankings, behind the Germany and France sides they will play at the SheBelieves Cup in the United States in March.

The tough run of games over the weeks ahead will prime England for their one main objective of the year.

"It's definitely a good test," said Lindisfarne-raised Bronze. "All the games we've got lined up until the Euros are against teams who, like ourselves, will fancy their chances at the Euros."

Source: PA