LEAH WILLIAMSON believes Michelle Agyemang will give England a different attacking edge after her stunning debut.
And the Lionesses captain, 28, says she “could only dream of having” Agyemang’s athleticism after going toe-to-toe with the striker during training.
GettyEngland Leah Williamson reckons Michelle Agyemang can add another dimension to England with her skill and athleticism[/caption]
GettyThe England skipper says she speaks to her club and country team-mate about being in the best environment to push herself as far as she can[/caption]
ReutersThe striker wowed England fans by scoring 41 seconds into her senior debut when the Lionesses played Belgium in the Nations League[/caption]
GettyAgyemang and her England team-mates are due to play Jamaica on June 29 before their July 5 Euros group stage opener against France[/caption]
At just 19, the Arsenal starlet is the youngest member of Sarina Wiegman’s Euros squad.
She is also one of seven Lionesses under 24 set to compete in their first major tournament when it all kicks off in Switzerland next month.
Agyemang stunned fans and pundits including Gunners legend Ian Wright, when she scored a worldie on her senior international debut.
It took just 41 seconds for the young Lioness to make her mark as a second-half substitute during England’s Nations League duel with Belgium on April 8.
While England were beaten 3-2, Agyemang’s volleyed finish, teed up by Williamson, had observers including Wright calling for her Euros squad inclusion.
On what she brings to Wiegman’s team, her Arsenal pal Williamson said: “Something completely different. Michelle’s athleticism is something I can only dream of.
“Playing against her, training against her at Arsenal I knew about Michelle before she came into this environment.
“Her first training session was just a demonstration of what she was about.
“She knows how much I believe in her so when we talk it is always about her being in the best environment to push herself as far as she can go.
“Her strengths are things we don’t necessarily have, which is the reason that she’s here. It adds value.”
Williamson and Agyemang are training at St George’s Park this week as the Lionesses prepare for the defence of the Euros title they won in 2022.
And the centreback reflected on her first experiences of taking on her club and country teammate in training.
Williamson added: “I remember the first time she played because she came and flattened me in training.
“I was too slow and I gave her a bit of stick about it, but in my head I thought, ‘You need to move the ball quicker, because she’s got something about her’.
“With her finishing, as a defender, it’s like playing against someone who you can’t give a second to.
“In training this week, I was screaming for a pass and she put it in the top bin and I thought, ‘I ain’t going to say anything’.
“So my first impression was she let me know she was there, which I love.”
Agyemang’s inclusion in the squad follows an impressive loan spell with Brighton, playing in 17 Women’s Super League games and helping Albion to a fifth-place finish.
The forward and her England pals will play Jamaica in a friendly next Sunday.
After this they will face France in their Euros opener in Zurich on July 5.
And the Netherlands and Wales are the other rivals that make up Group D.
Agyemang, who grew up in Southend, is one of two rising Arsenal stars who scored on their senior England debuts this season.
APEngland players met with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer at St George’s Park ahead of the start of their Euros title defence[/caption]
The other is Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, who became the youngest player to score on a Three Lions debut when he netted in the men’s 2-0 win against Albania in March.
On whether she and Lewis-Skelly have ever chatted about their England experiences, Agyemang said: “Me and Myles spoke quite a bit, especially when I came back in after being on loan this season.
“But for me, it’s about keeping my head down, getting ready for the tournament and whatever my role is. That’s my main priority.”
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