'I'd highly recommend it' - Lionesses star Mary Earps explains why she would 'encourage' England players to move abroad as she continues to enjoy life at PSG

Earps secured a second transfer abroad last summer, when she left Manchester United to join the French giants. The goalkeeper had previously spent a season in Germany with Wolfsburg, where she won a league and cup double.

However, Earps remains in the minority when it comes to English players abroad, with it a rarity on both the men's and women's side over the years. That is changing slightly, with the likes of Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh all high-profile examples of Lionesses experiencing the game beyond the Women's Super League, and Earps believes it can be beneficial to more players.

"I would highly recommend it," she said of playing abroad, at an event promoting the Chase football coaching programme. "I can't speak highly enough of it. I think the ability to take yourself out of your comfort zone, it's obviously very scary, very challenging, and it's not easy to do for sure. But I think it teaches you a lot about yourself as an athlete, but also yourself as a person. It helps you create long lasting memories and things you'll think back on in many years to come.

"I'm really enjoying it as PSG right now and hopefully you'll see more English players going abroad. You've seen it quite a bit in recent years, Bronzey's done it a few times, Georgia Stanway, Keira, to name a few. I would really, really encourage it."

It's not just Europe that is proving attractive to England players, either. Last summer, a trio of Lionesses moved to the United States for new chapters of their careers, with Jess Carter joining Gotham, Esme Morgan signing for the Washington Spirit and Katie Zelem moving to Angel City. Anna Moorhouse, who has become the regular third-choice goalkeeper in Sarina Wiegman's recent squads, also plays in the NWSL, with the Orlando Pride.

Earps will hope her new experiences in Paris can help to make her an even better goalkeeper and perhaps give her some sort of edge in a tight battle with Chelsea star Hannah Hampton to be England's No.1 at this summer's European Championship.