Tottenham forward Beth England says her decision to leave Chelsea during the January transfer window has paid off after she was named in the Lionesses squad for the World Cup.

The 29-year-old joined Spurs for £250,000 at the start of the year and she has subsequently hit the back of the net 13 times in all competitions for her new club. England firmly believes that if she had decided to remain at Stamford Bridge, she wouldn’t be on the plane heading Down Under:

“It was a big risk [moving teams]. I didn’t really like the thought of change and it all happened so quickly. I could have stayed at Chelsea, I could have stayed on the bench in my comfort zone, but then I’d have been watching other people going out there to Australia when I know that it’s something I would have regretted looking back on.”

“I’m glad the risk paid off and even if it didn’t pay off and I didn’t come, I could have at least looked at myself in the mirror knowing I did everything I could to put myself on that flight. Ultimately it’s my career and I had to take it into my own hands and make sure that I put myself in the best position because I’m not getting any younger. Change can be scary and I’ve never dealt well with change, but luckily I hit the ground running and I’m just thankful that it turned out well.”

England gets recall at perfect time

Prior to England manager Sarina Wiegman naming the Tottenham star in her squad for the tournament next month, England had not been selected for her national team since September. She had not featured in the friendlies in October or November, and she didn’t make the cut for the Arnold Clark Cup either.

The fact that the forward was getting regular first-team football in the final few months of the season and, more importantly, scoring regularly, helped seal her place in the final 23.