A BRONZE MEDDLE

LUCY BRONZE was once offered the chance to play for Portugal.

Now she wants to help England maintain their 100 per cent start to Euro 2017 against the country she rejected.

The Manchester City defender (below) is half-Portuguese and was on the verge of accepting their invitation to play for them after feeling unvalued by Hope Powell at Euro 2013. But she is now one of the best right-backs in the world and a key player in Mark Sampson’s team.

Bronze explained: “Monica Jorge, who’s now the head of women’s football in Portugal, saw me play in an England youth game. She got in touch with my mum and dad on Facebook and said if I ever wanted to play for Portugal I’d be welcomed into the squad.” That was when Bronze was 16 but it was not until five years later that she seriously considered switching allegiance. She recalled: “I broke into the England squad for the 2013 Euros only because of injuries so I didn’t really feel part of it. It got to the point where I was thinking ‘I just want to play international football and I’m just as much Portuguese as I am English.’ “But then the managers changed, Brent Hills (interim head coach) played me and Mark’s played me.”