Ellen White says her recent goalscoring rate is not worrying her, stressing she is “loving every minute” of playing for England at the moment.
White, the Lionesses’ record scorer with 50 goals who netted six at the 2019 World Cup, has registered two in seven appearances for her country so far this year, with the most recent coming in a 10-0 win over North Macedonia in April.
The 33-year-old Manchester City striker also ended up with only four Women’s Super League goals to her name for 2021-22.
Hosts England’s 1-0 win over Austria in their Euros opener at Old Trafford on Wednesday saw White, who missed the second of their three warm-up games after testing positive for coronavirus and then was an unused substitute for the third, make a number of unsuccessful attempts on goal.
Asked ahead of Monday’s clash with Norway at the Amex Stadium if a lack of goals was playing on her mind, White said: “No.
“I’m excited to be part of this England team. We’ve got some great talent, competition, and I’m loving every minute of playing for this team.”
White said that while what she brought to the team in other ways was something she prided herself on, “ultimately my job is to score goals.”
👋 @ellsbells89pic.twitter.com/mxoJURESN8— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 9, 2022
And she is backing herself to take chances created, saying: “Of course (I do). We’ve got some great wingers in this team and midfielders, backline, everyone. I’ve got to be in the right place at the right time and hopefully, all the training I’ve done (I) will help the team any way I can.”
Boss Sarina Wiegman also has Chelsea’s Beth England and Manchester United’s Alessia Russo as options in the centre-forward role.
And White said: “I think there’s always pressure to keep that number nine role. We’ve got some phenomenal talent and it’s super competitive, and I think that’s really healthy, throughout the whole squad really.
“I think that’s an amazing part of this team. We have 23 players that are so talented and every single day in training it’s super competitive and pushing each other and wanting each other to do well. I think it’s a good headache for Sarina.”
Regarding Wiegman, White added: “She’s super supportive and really helped with movement in and around the box, and the vision – she’s been amazing on that front.”
White has also given her take after England players spoke following the Austria game about concerns over wearing white shorts during their periods.
Forward Beth Mead told the Daily Telegraph that “it’s very nice to have an all-white kit, but sometimes it’s not practical when it’s the time of the month”, adding “we’ve discussed it as a team and we’ve fed that back to (kit manufacturer) Nike”.
Asked about the matter, White said: “I think it’s a really great conversation to have. We play football, we are on our periods, and definitely there has been feedback with Nike about the kit. Our kit is lovely, but at times, when you are on your period, you do worry a little bit about that.
“It’s important we are talking about it and made aware of what we can do to help support women when they are on their periods. It’s a great conversation and one we need to continue to have really.”
England will again be wearing all white when they take on Norway.
Following Mead’s comments, an FA spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance and want our players to feel our full support on this matter.
“Any feedback made by them will be taken into consideration for future designs. We will continue to work in close consultation with our partners Nike, while still following guidance from tournament organisers where possible in terms of colour choices.”
A spokesperson for Nike said: “We absolutely hear and understand the concerns of our athletes that wearing light coloured apparel while having their period can be a real barrier to sport.
“We are deeply engaged with our athletes in the process of designing solutions to meet their needs, while also consulting the clubs, federations and sporting associations that set uniform standards and colours.”
