Karen Carney is confident she can make England tick if manager Mark Sampson hands her the opportunity.
A torpid England performance was enlivened by the introduction of substitute Carney on Friday, as the home side came from behind to snatch a 1-1 draw with Belgium in Rotherham.
She had a hand in the late equaliser, unsettling the Belgian defence before Jill Scott drove home the loose ball, but equally noticeable were her clever promptings from midfield.
England had been one-dimensional in the Euro 2017 qualifier until playmaker Carney stepped off the bench. With her on the pitch, they posed a multi-faceted threat.
Despite Carney being arguably the most gifted female English attacking player of her generation, she has struggled to nail down a fixed place in Sampson's sides.
Yet after a close-season move from Birmingham to Women's Super League champions Chelsea, Carney feels an invigorated player, ready to make an impact wherever she plays.
"I felt I needed a fresh change and I went to Chelsea and they've rejuvenated me and made me fall back in love with football, and to get back on the football, to be confident," she said.
"I think I'm an intelligent player, and I just want it - give me the ball and I'll try to do something with it."
The 28-year-old credits Chelsea manager Emma Hayes with instilling in her the confidence to perform in the swaggering, dynamic fashion that first brought her international caps as a 17-year-old.
Competition for places at Chelsea is intense, with England colleagues Eni Aluko, Fran Kirby and Gemma Davison, plus South Korean star forward Ji So Yun, all vying for attacking roles.
"I don't like drawing or losing, I'm only happen when I win," Carney said. "And maybe that's come with me going to Chelsea and that's instilled that in me, that we have to win every game."
She added: "We've got Fran, Eni, Gemma, Ji: if you don't play well then you're not in the Chelsea team so it's important I do play well for my club and I absolutely love it. I love Chelsea, I love my team-mates. I'm enjoying my football so much - all I want to do now is play football and be happy."
Fourth-ranked England should have threatened more against Belgium, a side rated 28th in the world by FIFA, so Tuesday's qualifier against Bosnia & Herzegovina takes on added importance.
Carney could start that game, having clearly outperformed Demi Stokes, the player she replaced on the left of midfield against Belgium.
Sampson admires Carney but has to weigh up how she slots into his keenly regimented plans.
"Now we're seeing the Karen Carney we used to know," said Sampson.
"She looks lively, she looks fresh, she's shouting at the ref, shouting at her team-mates, she's so passionate to win.
"Then you've got 'watch out, Karen Carney's back'. But the performance against Belgium was outstanding from Karen and she will certainly believe she can play a big part in this team. She's done herself a lot of favours, for the team and for selection moving forward."
Source: PA
