Arsenal defender Goldie pleased to be back with England after long-term injuries | OneFootball

Arsenal defender Teyah Goldie says that a return to international football was always one of her main goals whilst sidelined with long-term injury and that she is pleased to have received a call-up into the England Under-23s squad.

The 20-year-old, who is currently on loan at Barclays Women’s Championship club London City Lionesses, has battled through a difficult period which has seen ber sustain two Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries. Goldie recently returned to fitness and she has been getting plenty of minutes in the second tier with The Pride. The defender has been rewarded for her performances for London City Lionesses with an England Under-23s call-up.

When speaking in an England media event, Goldie admitted that she is in a good place after her injuries.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be playing so far this season, so it’s been good to find some more consistency again,” Goldie said. “I’m really happy to be back. It was always my end goal [to receive an international call-up], so maybe that has come quicker than I first thought.”

Going on to discuss the events of the last two years, Goldie made it clear that getting back into the England set-up was always her goal and that gave her something to focus on in the tough times.

She said “It was a very hard and interesting two years. It’s obviously not the situation I thought I would be in.

“In a weird way, the time has flown and I always knew it would be my goal at some point this season to get myself back into the England set-up. I never set myself a timeframe but I was hopeful that when I got playing again, that would be a possibility.

“I set myself lots of small goals throughout the process, but that was definitely my end goal.”

Commenting on her loan move to London City Lionesses, Goldie spoke about how the arrangement was perfect for her, especially given The Pride’s lofty ambitions.

She said “It seemed like the perfect club for me. They are going in a great direction and it was something I wanted to be a part of. There are a lot of players there with the same motivation which I think is really exciting and that’s reflected in how we’re doing and how the club is moving.

“You can see how going on loan can get you the exposure and experience. That was perfect for me this season.”

Goldie is in the Under-23s squad for the first time after previously captaining the Under-15s and playing a vital role for the Under-19s. She said that the atmosphere in camp is a little different to what she has experienced previously.

She said “[It’s] just getting back into the swing of things and getting used to the set-up again. I’m fortunate to know quite a few of the girls which has been nice as it was a welcoming start. It was just about finding my feet again and having some good training sessions.

“The set-up is a bit different. There’s quite a relaxed vibe to it but obviously, they are trying to make the pathway similar [to the first team], so it’s easier to progress through.”

Finally, Goldie explained how she had a lot of support from her teammates during her injury rehabilitation at parent club Arsenal.

She said “Unfortunately, there are lots of role models [when it comes to Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) recovery]. You don’t want that to be the situation.

“I did rehab on both of my knees at Arsenal and I was obviously surrounded by some pretty impressive people and characters. I spoke to a fair few of the players and there are a lot who have been through it. At the time, the two I looked up to the most were Kim Little and Jordan Nobbs. You might not even know that they have been through that, particularly Kim because it was a while ago, but then you look at the level she is playing at; her fitness and everything is just incredible. They are the people you look up to and think ‘if they can do it, there’s no reason I can’t’.”

Goldie was an unused substitute as England Under-23s recorded a 1-1 international friendly draw with The Netherlands in Velp last night. The Young Lionesses are next in action when they face Portugal at The Croud Meadow in Shrewsbury on Tuesday evening. Tickets for that match are on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.