Campbell: Our aim is to win it for Nobbs
Baroness Sue Campbell, the Football Association’s head of women’s football, reacted to the news that midfielder Jordan Nobbs will miss next summer’s World Cup by saying: “We’ll try and win it for her.”
Campbell was speaking after the draw in France on Saturday that saw England handed what she described as “a tough group with three tough games” in Scotland, Japan and Argentina in Group D.
The Lionesses’ preparations have already been disrupted by the knee injury sustained by Nobbs, which rules her out of the World Cup. The Arsenal captain underwent successful surgery last week, but the rehabilitation process means she will not make the squad for a tournament beginning on June 7.
The absence, although not unexpected, presents a headache for head coach Phil Neville, given that Nobbs was the fulcrum of his midfield. It is a cruel twist of fate for a player who played only once due to injury at the 2015 World Cup in Canada, where England finished third.
“I’m just sad for Jordan,” said Campbell. “She’s such a great person, let alone a good footballer, and it’s really tough on her as an individual, and tough for us. She has been an important part of our squad and will be for the future. I’m sure it’s heartbreaking for her. But we’ve got a lot of very good players and we’ll try and win it for her.”
Neville had already promised that the FA “will be supporting her every step of the way throughout her rehabilitation process”.
Asked what success will be for England next summer, Campbell said: “There are no guarantees in sport. I could stand here and say to you it’s winning the World Cup and, of course, that’s got to be the ambition. But the reality is we want to play the very best we can.
“Each player is on an individual programme right now, so what we’ve asked of them is that when we step into the World Cup, you’re the best that you can be. If we can put that all together and we can play the best that we can play, that will be good enough for us. If we do that, I think we’ll go a long way.”