Mary Earps' England retirement 'difficult to take' for Lionesses squad as Chelsea's Lucy Bronze reveals goalkeeper told her of decision before anyone else

Earps stunned the football world last week when she announced her immediate international retirement, little over a month before the European Championship begins. The goalkeeper was locked in a fierce battle with Hannah Hampton to be England's No.1 but while the Chelsea star was, in Sarina Wiegman's words, "a little bit ahead" in that race as of late, she now inherits first-choice status by default after Earps shockingly called it quits.

The Telegraph reported that the timing of the decision 'angered' Wiegman, adding that it came after the England boss had told Earps that Hampton would be No.1 at this summer's Euros. It has certainly weakened the Lionesses' goalkeeper pool, with neither Khiara Keating nor Anna Moorhouse - the other two shot-stoppers involved in the current squad - having a cap to their name.

Asked about Earps on Monday, Bronze revealed that she was one of the few not to be caught out by the official announcement, though admitted the news was "difficult to take". "I think I was the first person she called to tell," she explained. "I was probably in the know before everyone else, just because we have such a good bond and connection.

"You think of players who know what it means to play for England, I think Mary was one of them, right at the top. Her career at England has been absolutely fantastic. Obviously, the news was difficult to take as team-mates, because we all love Mary and we all want her to be here. But as a person and as a friend, we all accept her decision. We celebrate her and everything that she's done for this team, both on and off the pitch, and then we just have to look forward.

"We've got fantastic goalkeepers here. Mary's left a great legacy that means that they're all in a great position, that they're all prepared, because they've had such a great mentor in the past number of years to learn from. Hopefully, the goalkeepers that we have now can, I guess, just live in that energy and just enjoy the fact that they were able to work alongside such a great professional, and then they can just bring that to the team as well."

Some may have thought that Earps' decision might lead to Wiegman giving one of Keating or Moorhouse their first cap on Friday, as England faced Portugal in the kinder of their two fixtures over this break. However, when asked after that 6-0 win if she ever thought about starting anyone other than Hampton, who made her 14th Lionesses appearance in the game, Wiegman simply said: "To be honest, no. I'm happy with Khiara and Anna too, in the 'keepers unit, but Hannah is the first goalkeeper."

While it's unlikely that Keating or Moorhouse will win their first cap in Tuesday's crucial Nations League clash with Spain, which England need to win to reach the competition's finals, there may be an opportunity for one of them when the Lionesses face Jamaica in a friendly in late June, in their final match before the Euros.