'Man City said I wasn't ready and it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me' - England & Man Utd midfielder Ella Toone stars in Grassroots To Glory

England star Ella Toone thrust herself into the limelight last summer with her performances at the Euros, which included scoring in the final as the Lionesses won the trophy, so much so that she was being snapped by photographers eating pasties in the aftermath.

Between celebrating the triumph with thousands in London and being approached by fans on holiday in Ibiza, she describes that as the moment when she realised the impact the tournament had in England.

It wasn't an easy path to the top for the Manchester United midfielder, though. Speaking to GOAL in the latest episode of Grassroots To Glory, she explains how she would often get picked for England's youth national teams but wouldn't play much.

At club level, there were also obstacles. Toone was at Manchester City in her later teenage years and, when she turned 18, she wouldn't get the professional contract that so many did.

"That didn't happen for me," she tells GOAL. "They said I wasn't ready and that they didn't want to give me that contract. That was really tough. I thought it was the end of the world. I thought I was the worst player ever. Usually everyone does get offered a contract at 18.

"But looking back now it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me work even harder. I learned that you don't get everything handed to you on a plate and you've got to work hard for it no matter what. That's what I did. I worked really hard, signed for Man Utd and was offered my first professional contract."

She started playing more for England's under-19s, won promotion to the Women's Super League and would soon win her first caps for the senior team. Now, she's a fixture for club and country, soon to follow her impressive Euros campaign last summer with a first ever Women's World Cup as the Lionesses look to become world champions in Australia.

"The support that we have for the Lionesses, it's been massive," Toone said. "Throughout the Euros, the support that we had was unbelievable and I think that's really what pushed us over the line in games. Hopefully, we can continue growing that and go out to the World Cup and keep growing the game.

"I think the World Cup will be huge. It's just really exciting for women's football that these international tournaments are coming thick and fast and we can keep putting on a show for all those fans. Hopefully we can go out there and just make the nation proud."

Check out the full episode of Grassroots To Glory on the official Indivisa YouTube channel.