Manchester City striker Ellen White has admitted that she is aware of the pressure she is under to retain her place in England's starting line-up ahead of tonight's clash with Norway in their second group game of the European Championship.
The Lionesses will be looking to build on Wednesday's opening night victory over Austria at Old Trafford, in which Beth Mead netted the only goal of the game to seal a 1-0 win for Sarina Wiegman's side. White, who netted four goals for City in the Women's Super League last term, started up front despite playing no part in the Lionesses' final two warm-up matches ahead of the tournament.
The City ace played no part in the victories over the Netherlands [5-1] and Switzerland [4-0] after testing positive for Covid-19. However, given her status as the Lionesses' all-time leading goalscorer, she was handed a start for the tournament opener.
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She was taken off with 64 minutes on the clock and replaced by Manchester United's Alessia Russo. And with Russo and Beth England waiting to pounce on any opportunities that might present themselves, White is acutely aware that she is under pressure to continue as the Lionesses' main markswoman.
"There is always pressure to keep the jersey and that No.9 role," said White. "We've got some phenomenal talent and it is super competitive and, yes, that's really healthy.
"It's throughout the squad really, not just one position. We've got 23 players that are so talented and every single day in training is competitive. We are pushing each other, it's a good headache for Sarina.
Despite a lack of goals for City last term, White has always proven prolific when sporting an England shirt. With that said, she seemed surprised when asked about her recent struggles in front of goal.
"I'm excited to be part of this team and we have great competition for places and some great talent," White continued. "I'm loving every minute of it."
On tonight's clash with Norway at Brighton & Hove Albion's AMEX Stadium, White, who scored six goals at the World Cup three years ago, added: "They're a great side, they've got some great players and they're really well organised, so it will be a tough game. I think they're a phenomenal team, and this is a really tough group.
"But we watched it, we've analysed it and we're fully focused on what we can do. It's a big, big game for us, and we're excited for it.
"I think we have to be really wary of the frontline and the players they have. Their strengths are very, very good and something we need to be very wary of going into this game."
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