Manchester City midfielder Laura Coombs says that receiving an England call-up was a shock after not being capped since 2015.
The 32-year-old has been included in the England squad for this month’s Arnold Clark Cup. It is the first time that Coombs has been involved with the Lionesses since 2020 when she was a member of a training camp.
When speaking in an England media session, Coombs said that receiving the call from head coach Sarina Wiegman was a shock.
“It feels really good to be wearing The Three Lions again,” Coombs said. “It was a shock, but now I’m here, I’m ready to get down to work.
“I was surprised because it’s been so long and I didn’t really think about the international stage any more; I was thinking I was going to get a break over the international break.
“It’s really good. Obviously, I know a lot of the girls, so it doesn’t feel super-out of my comfort zone. It’s really good to be back training and in a new environment.”
Coombs also revealed how she ignored Wiegman’s original call after not recognising the phone number. She later picked up the all-important call whilst in the ice bath with Manchester City teammate Khadija Shaw. It was a call that she did not expect to receive after being absent from the international stage for such a long period.
She said “It’s not that I gave up. In my earlier years, it was all I wanted, but when you don’t get selected, at some point you have to say ‘I just need to park that and focus on club football’ because otherwise, you’re disappointed and it starts to affect you negatively.
“It’s amazing and an honour to be here, but it’s not what I was working towards.”
This international window hosts the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup. England were the inaugural winners of the tournament last year. The European champions will face Korea Republic, Italy and Belgium this time around as they aim to clinch the trophy once again.
“They all play really different styles of football,” Coombs said. “Obviously, international stage they are all going be top opposition and you know what Korea can bring. The other two are probably more well-known opposition; they’ll be really hard tests and great for us to see where we are.”
Looking ahead to the summer, England will hope to dominate on the world stage at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023. A call-up to the final squad is on every player’s mind, including Coombs’.
She said “It’s incredible, I just feel extremely lucky and privileged. Knowing that there’s this camp, one more camp and then the squad is getting announced is a bit mind-blowing for me, but it’s an amazing opportunity.
“It would be incredible [to go to the World Cup], knowing that my last call-up was eight years ago, that’s a really unique journey and not many other players have that time in between call-ups. It’s something I thought had passed for me, so it’d be even more special.”
England kick-off their 2023 Arnold Clark Cup campaign on Thursday evening when they face Korea Republic at Stadium MK.