Ella Toone says England will relish the pressure of being one of the favourites for the Women's World Cup this summer.
Toone is likely to form a key part of Sarina Wiegman's attack in Australia, with Chelsea star and fellow No.10 Fran Kirby sidelined through injury and not making the trip Down Under. And the Lionesses are expected by many to go deep in the tournament, alongside other favourites including USA, Germany, Spain and co-hosts Australia, particularly as reigning European Champions.
The Man Utd midfielder admits that teams will be desperate to beat England after they won a first major tournament last summer. But she believes they can deal with the tag and that the Lionesses will relish the pressure.
"We've definitely got a target on our backs," Toone said. "Off the back of the Euros. But that is what we want. As players we want to win everything, we're motivated.
"We have a winning mentality and whenever we step out onto the pitch, we want to beat whoever we are playing against. We'll come up against really good teams but we want to make the nation proud and going out there enjoying ourselves.
"Everyone wants to play in a World Cup. I mean it's the biggest tournament you can ever play in. Hopefully we can go and achieve great things out there."
Although Toone was used primarily from the bench 12 months ago during the Euros run, she still made a huge impact with vital goals against Spain and in the final against Germany. And she has continued her meteoric rise in the national team, scoring in the Finalissima win against Brazil back in April.
She also has the experience of a huge year at Man Utd under her belt, with the Red Devils pushing Chelsea hard in both the league and the FA Cup. Toone had to deal with the heartbreak of losing 1-0 at Wembley to the Blues, but believe the defeat has made her a stronger personality.
"I think I learnt a lot from that (FA Cup) final," said Toone. "In football little things develop you as a player and a person.
"To be there at Wembley was massive for us and something that I think I'll learn from. I think it has given me a little bit more hunger to go and achieve even more in my career.
"I'm always trying to work on the technical side of my game, but also focusing on developing the strengths of my game. I have worked a lot on using my body better and making better decisions in the final third. I'm always looking to improve and hopefully those little things can make a big difference during the World Cup."
The Lionesses will have to adapt with moving around Australia throughout the summer, presuming they progress through the tournament. This will be a big difference from 12 months ago when England stayed at the Lensbury in Teddington, west London throughout their Euros run, but Toone believes they will cope.
"I've got family coming out which will be really nice," said Toone. "But the support from back home will be massive and make it huge difference.
"Of course being away from home for so long will make things difficult. But I think we have a great group of people, so when some girls do have down days, we'll make sure they are picked up and we look after each other."
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