England captain Millie Bright feeling ‘really confident’ of being fit for Women’s World Cup

England skipper Millie Bright is feeling “really confident” of being fit for the Women’s World Cup.

The Chelsea defender has been out of competitive action since March as a result of a knee injury suffered in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Lyon.

However, Bright has been training with her England team-mates and says she feels “mentally and physically fresh as I have ever felt”.

“I think it’s hard for everyone on the outside because today was the first time you’ve seen me out on the pitch but I’ve actually been out there since the first camp,” added Bright.

“I’ve just been training individually, ticking the boxes to prepare me for when I can return to the team.”

Saturday’s friendly against Portugal at Stadium MK Will come a “little bit too soon” for Bright but hopes to be fit for the World Cup opener against Haiti on July 22.

“I think we are a little bit ahead. But there’s a big chunk of time before the first game [of the World Cup] so we are really confident and everything is going exactly the way we want it to go.”

“Obviously, we have a lot of time until the first game. I’m gutted not to make that one [against Portugal] but at the same time, I’m exactly where I want to be.”

There may be some concerns about Bright’s match sharpness given how long it has been since she last played competitively, but she believes the rest has been advantageous for her.

She said: “The amount of minutes I’ve played before this has been ridiculous. I feel physically and mentally fresher than I’ve ever felt. Just based on the amount I’ve played it’s been a blessing that I’m recovering.

“I’ve been putting in the work and I’ll be doing that until the tournament, so I have no concerns at all.

“I can’t remember the last time I had longer than two weeks off. It’s been a fair few years now.

“Not the injury but otherwise it has been a blessing in disguise that I’ve been able to have a clean slate. I’ve played through many injuries but with this one, I couldn’t quite get there.”

Bright is stepping up as captain in the absence of Leah Williamson, who will miss the World Cup as a result of an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury.

England will also play Denmark and China in Group D.