London City Lionesses defender Grace Neville is keen to enjoy further international success in her career after representing England up to and including Under-19 level.
The 20-year-old is progressing well for her club and has started eight of London City Lionesses’ 10 league games in the FA Women’s Championship so far this season.
Neville last represented her country in the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in Scotland in 2019. When recently speaking to FA Women’s Super League Full-Time, the full-back expressed her desire to continue to progress with the Lionesses.
“Being in the England setup from such a young age has given me all of the tools both as a player and as a person to really kick on” said Neville.
“There’s nothing better than pulling on an England shirt.
“My ambition is to always be playing for England and I have got the support at London City Lionesses. My goals and ambitions personally are to be in the England setup and hopefully in the years to come I’ll be there.”
COVID-19 and a change in the England youth coaching structure have meant that little happened on the international stage in 2020 but Neville went on to say that she has retained the support of the coaches who have continued to monitor her development.
She added “It has been a tough time but they (England) watch all of our games and I have close contact with one of the coaches and she keeps an eye out.
“They are always looking at our progress which is really good and is a really positive thing, especially with COVID-19 preventing them from coming to watch the games live.
“They are always watching online and I try to get as much feedback as possible.”
One coach who has played an instrumental role in Neville’s development at international level is her former Under-19 coach Rehanne Skinner who is now head coach at Tottenham Hotspur. Despite the fact that the pair are no longer working together, Neville will look to continue to keep a close bond with her former coach.
“I worked closely with Rehanne in the Under-19s and she is a phenomenal coach” said the defender.
“She is definitely someone who I look up to and I am looking to keep in close contact with Rehanne in the upcoming months.”
Neville will return to action with London City Lionesses on Sunday when The Pride take on Crystal Palace at Princes Park.
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