BRISBANE, Australia — Millie Bright is fit to lead England into their Women’s World Cup opener against Haiti on Saturday and admits the situation the players were put in over bonus discussions was far from ideal.
Bright was a selection doubt heading into the competition after suffering a knee injury in March, but with England already without Leah Williamson in defence, Bright’s return to full fitness will be a huge boost as they prepare to start the tournament in Brisbane this weekend.
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Bright will captain England in the absence of Williamson.
“I think when you are surrounded by the best people, I was very confident in my recovery and I have been given absolutely everything that I needed to be in this position that I am in,” Bright said.
“I am grateful that I am able to play. I am super excited to be here.”
When England manager Sarina Wiegman was asked whether Bright was 100% fit, she said: “Absolutely, yes. We are happy. This was the plan. The plan worked, so Millie is ready to play.”
Bright said she took her recovery “day by day.”
“I think it’s important to be in the moment and present, and not look too far ahead, and I think by doing that I kind of removed all the pressure of being fit almost, so day-by-day my head was in that place that day, but I’m always confident that I do absolutely everything that I can for the team, and to put myself in the best position, so I knew I’d tick all the boxes in terms of my recovery,” Bright said.
“Obviously you mentioned players not being here but unfortunately injuries are part of football and we have to look forward and move forward, and I think we’ve got an amazing group of players and staff and everyone has stepped up. We’re raring to go.”
