Leah Williamson lauded the contributions of retiring England team-mates Ellen White and Jill Scott but acknowledged her feelings were bittersweet.
White, the Lionesses’ all-time top goalscorer, announced the end of her career on Monday, with Scott revealing her own departure from the game 24 hours later.
England captain Williamson, who just last month lifted the Euro 2022 trophy with White and Scott, agreed the stalwarts’ absence from the squad would be profoundly felt.
She said: “I couldn’t speak more highly of either of them and I’m heartbroken that they’ve left the game, but their legacy and what they’ve done and how they’ve finished their careers with that gold medal will live forever. “Ellen is the ultimate professional, especially for me as a young kid being around her, and even watching her when I was in the academy at Arsenal and she played for the first team, she’s the person that has literally squeezed every ounce of ability, of fitness. “Anything that she’s had to give the game, she’s got it out of herself.