‘It would have been my career done’ - Lionesses star Beth England reveals sacrifice during Women’s World Cup after playing entire tournament with ‘hip bone outside its socket’

The forward helped England reach the final of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, despite suffering from what she thought was a minor hip issue. However, after the tournament she found that she was close to suffering a career-ending injury.

"My hip bone wasn’t in the socket, it was sitting on the side and sliding, so it wasn’t fixed in place," she told The Telegraph. "I’d built up a load of fluid around there – you could barely see the tendon. The surgeon told me if it had torn any more, it would have been my career done."

England required an operation to fix the issue, ruling her out of the opening weeks of the Women's Super League campaign, and she opened up on the emotional toll the recovery period took on her, adding: "I was the most irritable, moody little cow. I had days when I was down. Some days I’d cry. I was frustrated, but the surgeon did a great job and the medical staff at Spurs were with me the whole way through."

England made her first Women's Super League appearance of the season as Tottenham lost 4-0 at home to Manchester United last week. She will likely be involved as Spurs host Arsenal in the north London derby on Saturday.