Rio Ferdinand has backed Lionesses captain Steph Houghton to follow in David Beckham's footsteps as she looks to shake off her injury worries ahead of the European Women's Championship this summer.
Achilles issues have struck 121-cap stalwart Houghton at the worst possible time, keeping her out of five England internationals and threatening her hopes of glory on home soil. Ferdinand watched Manchester United teammates Beckham and Wayne Rooney battle through injuries to play key roles at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
The iconic central defender is backing Houghton to stage a comeback in time for the major tournament that opens at Old Trafford on July 6. "From my own experience with England, we’ve brought our top players back before," he said.
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“David Beckham, Wayne Rooney – big important players who have had injuries going into tournaments. There are pros and cons and ultimately, it’s all about her fitness. If the manager deems her fit enough and mentally in the right place, that experience will be vital.
Interest in women’s football is booming with a season-high Super League crowd of 20,241 watching United beat Everton at Old Trafford last weekend. With 100 days to go until England play Austria in the curtain-raiser, tickets are now on sale and more than 350,000 seats were sold in the pre-sale period alone.
"We’ve already broken records and we are looking to break even more this summer," he continued. "The tournament is vitally important. We’ve seen in the past how tournaments bring families and nations together, so we’re here to push and amplify the women’s game"
Sarina Wiegman’s England will be fancied to go deep in the tournament but the explosion of the club game in Spain makes them early favourites, led by Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas. Former winners Germany and the Netherlands will also be aiming for the final on July 31.
England drew 0-0 with Spain in February and beat Germany 3-1 to lift the Arnold Clark Cup, a huge confidence boost in their bid to win the Euros for the first time. They have been runners-up on two occasions, at the inaugural edition in 1984 and in 2009, reaching the semi-finals last time out in 2017.
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"A home tournament brings loads of pressure for England but there’s excitement as well," the former United defender revealed. "We saw with the men’s team last year - they weren’t necessarily one of the favourites, but the home support is a leveller.
"There are strong sides in there and it will be difficult. But the fact England are at home means we’re a team that none of the others will want to face, especially in the knockout stages."
Ferdinand never got the chance to grace a major tournament on home soil. The closest he got was attending two games as a fan at Euro 96, and his excitement is palpable at the opportunity that the Lionesses have ahead of them this summer.
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“The players just need to enjoy it,” he added. “They’re the best days of your life and memories that will live with you forever, the energy and excitement around 96 was amazing – that feeling has never left me."
Tickets for UEFA Women's EURO England 2022 are on sale now. Visit: www.uefa.com/womenseuro/ticketing
The tournament takes place across nine cities in England from 6-31st July 2022.
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