Ready for duty: Taylor relishing prospect of England debut

Taylor, 28, began her career at Tranmere Rovers in 2002 and was part of the England youth teams as a youngster – but had been overlooked for the senior squad until Mark Sampson gave her the nod for Sweden.

And now the Birkenhead-born forward says she cannot wait to pull on an England shirt for the first time.

She said: “It would be an awesome achievement if I can get my first cap it will be right up there topping everything I’ve done.”

“I’ve settled in well. Everyone has been really welcoming. It can be quite daunting coming in to a environment like this, being your first camp. 

"But everyone has been so nice and welcoming and it’s the really positive environment from what I remember of the youth groups ages ago. 

“It’s been a really easy transition. I feel comfortable within the group and confident playing, which is important.”

Taylor now plays her club football in America with Washington Spirit. 

She is well-travelled and has also played in Boston, Ottawa, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney – as well as a short spell at Swedish club Goteborg. 

And Taylor admitted that joining the senior squad for the first time was an exciting prospect.

“Obviously it’s my first camp with the seniors so was a little overwhelming coming in," she added.

“There’s some new faces and old faces from playing back here previously – but all in all it’s been really good. I’ve really enjoyed the training and it’s a really good environment.”

And having spent time playing in Sweden in 2013, Taylor knows just what to expect from Sunday’s opponents.

“They’re a really physical team, really aggressive – but good footballers as well,” she added. 

“They’re one of the top teams in the world for a reason and the league over there is really strong so I’m anticipating a physical, aggressive game."

“I’ve played against a lot of them and I think there’s a couple still from the team that I was playing on – so it will be nice to see them and also good to play against them.”