Jordan Nobbs’ high-profile departure from Arsenal was the key to reigniting her stuttering England career, according to Lionesses legend Fara Williams.
Nobbs, 30, called time on a glittering 12-year spell with the Gunners to join fellow Women’s Super League side Aston Villa last month.
The midfielder was struggling for game time under Jonas Eidevall but catapulted herself back into the spotlight with a brilliant hat-trick in her new side’s 6-2 demolition of Brighton last weekend.
That propelled her back into Sarina Wiegman’s England squad for this month’s Arnold Clark Cup fixtures, after Chelsea’s Fran Kirby was forced to withdraw with a knee injury.
Williams, who racked up a record 172 caps for the Lionesses, is loving seeing Nobbs back to her best and says she still has the tools required to thrive on the international stage.
The 39-year-old, speaking ahead of England’s opening clash against Korea Republic on Thursday, "Jordan definitely needed a move – and could have done with it earlier in my opinion. For her to play as well as she does, Jordan needs to be consistently playing and that was something that she wasn't doing at Arsenal.
"With game time, we will see her back to herself and we're already getting glimpses of that. We've seen that through her long shots and hat-trick against Brighton.
"She wants to feel wanted and valued within a team and I think that under Carla Ward at Aston Villa, she will get that. You can see that she's already growing into her role and I think we will start to see her back to her very best in an environment where she can be herself."
Nobbs has earned 70 caps for England during her career but played only three times under Wiegman. With a set structure that fits the playing style of Kirby, Kiera Walsh and Georgia Stanway. Nobbs instead provides a more versatile and fluid role.
And that’s a role Williams believes functions as both an asset, and hindrance, when it comes to getting crucial minutes for England. She added: "Sarina has a specific way of playing this team.
"She has these specific qualities for each position that she likes and if you look at Jordan's qualities as a midfielder, she fits into all of those roles that Sarina wants to play. But that makes it quite difficult because she doesn't play one role constantly.
"Jordan is a rotational midfielder and likes to rotate constantly, whereas Sarina's team is quite set in what they do. But she's been on the international scene and she knows how to adapt her game accordingly, which is so impressive."
The Lionesses kick off their Arnold Clark Cup title defence in Milton Keynes before facing Belgium and Italy later in the week. And with over 70,000 tickets sold for the tournament, Williams has faith that the Lionesses will continue their recent success ahead of this year’s World Cup in Australia.
"Last year, the Arnold Clark Cup was the tournament that really sent the Lionesses on their way to success and have them that confidence going into the Euros," she said.
"This time it's a different test, with three different types of opposition and preparing for the World Cup. Hopefully we get the support for the Lionesses but also for the other teams that are coming over.
"The quality and calibre of players on the pitch is another dimension now so for any football fan this is a great opportunity to see some high-quality football."
Roar on the Lionesses in the Arnold Clark Cup, 16-22 February 2023. Last remaining tickets available at www.arnoldclarkcup.com
