Ready to play! Lionesses captain Millie Bright fit for England's Women's World Cup opener against Haiti

• Bright declared fit
• Has recovered from a knee injury
• Captain was confident she could recover in time

WHAT HAPPENED? The defender was forced to go under the knife to treat a serious knee injury that has prevented her from playing competitively since March. However, coach Sarina Wiegman confirmed that she is match-ready ahead of the World Cup opener against Haiti.

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WHAT THEY SAID: “We’re happy. This was the plan. The plan worked and Millie is ready to play," stated the coach.

Bright participated in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Canada on the Sunshine Coast which futher boosted her confidence before her competitive return.

"When you are surrounded by the best people, I was very confident in my recovery and I have been given absolutely everything that I needed to be in this position that I am in. I am grateful that I am able to play. I am super-excited to be here," she said.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: England are already without centre-back Leah Williamson, who is nursing an ACL injury, but otherwise has no fresh injury concerns ahead of their first game.

Wiegman has also insisted that her troops are completely focused on the job at hand despite the dispute with the Football Association over performance-related bonuses.

"When we go on the pitch … everyone is aligned and everyone is focused on football. I haven’t seen any other behaviours. So yes, we are ready. We have said all the time we want to be ready on 22 July and I think we are. We have had our last training session and we are ready to go," she stated.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT? England have been drawn in Group D and will lock horns against Haiti, Denmark and China respectively in the round-robin stage.