Earps England 2023Getty Images

'Everything that used to make sense didn't any more' - Man Utd & England star Mary Earps explains how Sarina Wiegman resurrected her Lionesses career after blow during Phil Neville's tenure left her considering retirement

  • Keeper wept after Neville snub
  • Wiegman call restored confidence
  • Earps went on to win Euro 2022

WHAT HAPPENED? She may be a European champion and a World Cup Golden Glove winner whose shirts sell out instantly, but the Lionesses' number one has not forgotten the tougher moments in her glittering career. In an interview with The Guardian, Earps confessed she fell to the floor in tears when former Lionesses boss Neville left her out of his squad in September 2020 and even thought about retiring.

WHAT THEY SAID: “Everything that used to make sense in my life didn’t any more. I had to make sure I remembered what’s good in life," she said.

Wiegman was appointed a year later, recalling Earps and putting her straight into the starting line-up. Wiegman, says Earps: “saw something in me I didn’t see in myself. I’d lost confidence. She said: ‘I’ve been watching you – just go out there and be yourself. That’s what you’ve been selected for.’ I’ll be for ever grateful for the opportunity Sarina gave me.”

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: The rest really will go down in history, as Earps took full advantage to play every minute in the Lionesses' historic Euro 2022 triumph before boosting her popularity even further with her heroics at this summer's World Cup.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Phil Neville England 2019Getty ImagesSarina Wiegman England 2023Getty ImagesEarps WWC 2023 Golden glove award Getty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR MARY EARPS? Earps and United look to bounce back from their Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain when they visit Everton on Sunday.

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