Coombs says the Lionesses are ready for World Cup bow

Laura Coombs says England are itching to get their Women's World Cup started against Haiti on Saturday.

The Manchester City midfielder is back in the national team setup after an eight-year exile and is desperate to take advantage of her second chance in Australia and New Zealand.

Speaking on Lionesses Down Under connected by EE, she said: "Because it [selection] hadn't happened for a while, I didn't think about it for a long time for my own sake, I didn't want to feel disappointed. 

"I always knew that if I could string along a number of good performances together, then I always had a good chance.

"Training has been going smoothly and everyone's working really hard. You can tell everyone just wants the games to get under way now."

The Lionesses are under pressure to deliver after last summer's Euro 2022 victory and the 32-year-old — who was not involved in the historic success on home soil — is keen to ensure that anxiety does not show in their performances.

She said: "Everyone at club football plays such different styles but when we come here everyone puts their England hat on and it's so seamless.

"I used to be very worried about how I played and put a lot of pressure on myself but now I just need to trust where I have got to in my career. 

"When I go out on the pitch I just try and make myself feel as free as possible and it really helps me take the chances when I get them and feel confident in myself."