‘I’m fed up of not winning trophies’ – Lauren Hemp on Man City title charge and comeback from injury | OneFootball

Lauren Hemp is feeling energised after returning from injury, lifted by Manchester City’s strong start with the club sitting three points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League.

Hemp joined up with England this week ahead of fixtures against China and Ghana, returning to the Lionesses after missing the previous camp through injury.

The 25-year-old spoke openly about the difficulty of her recent setbacks and how City’s form has pushed her to get back to full fitness.

“Us as a squad at City, we’re doing really well at the moment,” Hemp said. “That’s definitely inspired me to keep pushing in my rehab. I wanted to come back from injury and help the team as much as I can, because they’ve been doing so well so far.

“It’s important that we continue to do so and put ourselves in the best possible position to win trophies this season, because I’m fed up of not winning!”

Hemp was out for five months last season with a knee injury, but recovered in time to play her part in the Lionesses’ historic summer.

After returning from the Euros, an ankle injury on 19 September saw Hemp sidelined for two months. She made her comeback earlier this month, marking her first start since the injury with a screamer in the Manchester derby.

On her injuries and setbacks over the last year, Hemp said: “I’m not going to lie, it’s been very frustrating.

“It was this time last year where I had my first knee injury. And then I tried my hardest to get back fit for the Euros which I did and had that crazy couple of months at the Euros.

“I was hoping to get back a bit of consistency as the season started but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. 

“It’s the hardest thing being injured, it’s very gruelling gym sessions. But it’s all worth it when you get back fit and playing and back in the England badge again.”

Despite being only 25, she is now considered one of England’s more experienced players, with 72 international caps.

The last camp saw first call-ups for Arsenal’s Taylor Hinds, Aston Villa’s Lucia Kendall, Liverpool’s Grace Fisk and West Ham’s Anouk Denton, all of whom have been recalled. They are joined by London City Lionesses forward Freya Godfrey, who receives her first senior call-up after an impressive start to the WSL season.

“It’s always nice to see new faces,” Hemp said. “It just shows how fantastic the pathway is and how many younger girls are coming into the setup now.

“I always want people to look up to me and follow in the footsteps that I have. I’ve had a lot of experience and at one point, I was one of the younger ones – I want people to be able to look up to me, like I did with Jill Scott and Steph Houghton.

“My first cap was against Portugal [in October 2019] and at the time, I looked up to Jill, Steph, Karen Carney – who’s doing great in Strictly by the way.

“It was very daunting as a younger person coming into the setup, but those people made me feel welcome, at home and gave me a place within the group. And for that, I’m forever thankful because they instilled confidence in me that helped me perform at my best.”