UK Edition
Mary Earps interview: 'I want England to do well and I of course would love to be a part of that - but that’s not the reality'
Exclusive: The 27-year-old has signed a new contract with Manchester United and is hoping to earn a recall to the England set-up
Mary Earps says she is “at peace” with not being in the England squad and is fully focused on Manchester United’s bid to reach the Champions League, after signing a new contract with the WSL club.
The 27-year-old believes she is playing the best football of her career and describes extending her stay with Casey Stoney’s side until 2023, with the option for a further year, as an “no-brainer”.
Despite her good form, the former Wolfsburg shot-stopper was overlooked for England’s squad for February’s friendly against Northern Ireland, with interim boss Hege Riise instead opting for three young keepers with an average age of 21. Manchester City’s Ellie Roebuck picked up her sixth cap and Everton’s Sandy MacIver made her debut in Tuesday’s friendly, while Birmingham City’s uncapped keeper Hannah Hampton completed the Lionesses’ trio.
Earps had started for England in their previous home international, a friendly against Germany played at Wembley in front of 77,768 fans in 2019, but she was then not part of the squad for spring 2020’s SheBelieves Cup and subsequently England went nearly a year without playing an international.
“I don’t hold any resentment,” Earps told Telegraph Sport. “Last year was different, it was hard for me to come to terms with [initially], but now I feel like I’m in a place where I’ve come to terms with it and I’m just really excited about Manchester United.
“I wasn’t surprised [to be left out], because I feel like that’s how it’s been for a little while now. I obviously want England to do very well and I of course would love to be a part of that, but that’s not the reality, that’s not the situation just now, and I think at United we have a lot to do. My sole focus is on United. Would I like it to change? Of course, but it is what it is.”
Asked if anybody had explained to her why she was not part of February’s camp, Earps - who has eight senior caps and was part of the 2019 World Cup squad - replied: “No, but me and [former head coach] Phil Neville had a number of conversations about what the situation was, and now I just feel like that’s the way it is just now and I kind of accept that and I’m at peace with it.
"I don’t feel entitled to anything, I don’t feel entitled to an explanation. I just want to focus on my football and being the best version of myself. I’m not trying to use any cliches, I just want to be really genuine about how I’m feeling, and I hope that comes across. I’m grateful for where I’m at in my life."
Speaking to a relaxed Earps over Zoom, her genuine contentment and happiness at her new deal was clear to see as she added: “There’s no place I’d rather be, really. To be at a huge club, with huge ambitions, where I feel like I’m learning and developing all the time, it was an absolute no-brainer. This was my number one priority, staying here."
Earps is rare among English women’s players in having spent part of her career playing in Germany, for one of the women’s game’s dominant forces in Wolfsburg, before joining Manchester United in 2019.
That spell in the Bundesliga gave her a third taste of Champions League football, after previously playing in the competition with Birmingham City and Bristol Academy, and those experiences are giving her extra motivation to help Manchester United’s bid to join Europe’s elite club competition for the first time.
“That’s the number one priority, I want to be in the top three. Beating Barcelona [with Bristol Academy in 2014] and all those Champions League events in my career, when I look back on them, they really became little flames, before the fire - each Champions League experience has been a huge catalyst in some form for my career.”
To play in the competition next season, Earps and her team-mates will need to remain in the top three in the WSL this term. They are third, nine points above fourth-placed Arsenal, although the north London club have two games in hand.
“We need to keep our foot fully on the gas,” Earps said. “We can’t let it off in any way. The two games before the international break were hugely disappointing and we can’t afford to do that again. Now it’s about pushing forward and making sure that we’re doing everything we can to finish the season really strongly.”