'It's lonely' - Lionesses and Man Utd star Mary Earps reveals hardest thing about being a goalkeeper

The 31-year-old has made a name for herself of being one of the best goalkeepers in the world but even she admits it is a challenging position at times. The Lionesses stopper opened up on the challenges of the role and more in an interview with She's A Baller.

When asked what the hardest thing about being a goalkeeper is, she said: "It can be quite lonely, I think. People look at it and see it as a heavily criticised position and probably see that as the hardest part but that just comes with the territory. I think the hardest part is being unable to have an influence on the game, you can't go chasing the game, or force yourself into the game, you have to wait until the game comes to you. And that can be really difficult."

Earps backed up her Sports Personality of the Year award last year by picking up theBest FIFA Women's Goalkeeper accolade in January. She is doing her bit to grow the women's game and insights like this will be invaluable to aspiring keepers, too.

Earps was speaking ahead of her United side taking on Tottenham on Sunday in the final of the FA Women's Cup, before rounding off their season at home to Chelsea on May 18. United are in danger of losing Earps when her contract expires in June, and speculation has been raging over her possible next destination, with demand for the experienced shot-stopper set to be high.