GEORGIA IS SURELY NOW ON ENGLAND BOSS’ MIND
WHEN you’re constantly being labelled as England’s next big hope, it would be easy to let the hype go to your head.
But teenage sensation Georgia Stanway insists the reason she is flourishing at 17 is because no preferential treatment is handed out at a superpower like Manchester City.
City whisked the Cumbrian away from Blackburn Rovers last summer after she plundered a staggering 35 goals in the third tier of women’s football.
Few would have guessed just how quickly her obvious potential would manifest in the Women’s Super League.
Stanway won City’s Goal of the Season award earlier this week, beating Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure and Toni Duggan in a public vote. That was for her 30yard scorcher against Liverpool.
And her hat-trick in a victory over Sunderland last month dispelled any remaining doubts that the diminutive striker already stands shoulder to shoulder with the country’s finest.
That type of feat compelled Lucy Bronze – who was winning hearts with the Lionesses at the World Cup a year ago – to proclaim her as the future of English football.
However, Stanway insists there is no danger she will be swept away by the plaudits.
“It’s definitely been a year to remember,” she reflected.
“Having started at City when I was 16, to have made my first-team debut and now to be a regular member of the squad at 17 is an unbelievable achievement for me.
“Now I’ve got these opportunities all I want to do is prove myself. I’ve got to be careful as I’m still growing, but I feel I’ve adapted to women’s football and I’m enjoying it, whether it’s playing in matches or just training.
“Even though I’m still young, I know that, if I’m willing to work hard at Manchester City, I’ll get chances. I’m physically fit enough. I just need to keep developing and taking in what I need to learn from all the fantastic players around me.
“We’ve got a great team who are so helpful.
“If you watch the standard of training, there’s really high expectations at the club. Everyone has that drive to achieve things and get better.”
If 18-year-old Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United form tempted Roy Hodgson into taking a chance at this summer’s Euros, Lionesses boss Mark Sampson must surely be considering the same with Stanway.
But the Under-17s – rather than Euro 2017 – is the only focus at present.
Stanway believes that immersing herself at the World Cup in Jordan in September will be another important yardstick.
“It gives us the opportunities to play different opposition that we’ve never been exposed to,” added the player, who also made a scoring debut for the England Under-19s last month.
“And to experience a World Cup and compare myself with the best of my age will be fantastic.
“But it will also show me how much I’ve grown as a person since moving to City, experiencing a different culture and finding out how other people live.
“I’m really looking forward to it.”