Mary Earps says contract talks are ongoing with Manchester United after feeling she has been a “punching bag” this season.
The England goalkeeper has spent the final 5 years with United however her present deal is ready to run out this summer time.
United turned down a world-record provide for a goalkeeper in girls’s soccer when Arsenal got here in for Earps final yr and PSG had been additionally keen on signing the 31-year-old in the course of the January window.
Earps helped United to win the Girls’s FA Cup this season though the membership had a disappointing Girls’s Tremendous League marketing campaign, ending fifth, and the goalkeeper now needs assurances over the membership’s ambitions earlier than deciding on her future.
“The honest reality is that conversations are still ongoing,” Earps informed Sky Sports activities Information. “I have been clear I do not need to make an emotional choice.
“The start of the season was actually powerful, I felt actually upset about issues that had been being stated about me and issues that got here out that weren’t true.
“I’ve tried to be skilled, preserve my head down, work laborious, get on with my job and that is been laborious. I have been a punching bag at occasions.
“I’ve tried to shoulder the duty of the group and the efficiency and the place we fell brief this season. That is what you need to do as a frontrunner and as a extra skilled participant it’s important to get up in these moments.
“I know I’ve given my heart and soul for the whole season. It’s a tough situation.
“I’ve requested the membership for some affirmation on what they’re making an attempt to attain and when I’ve these solutions I will have the ability to decide. It is as much as the membership.”
Skinner: I need Earps to remain
United shall be eager to keep away from an analogous scenario to final yr, which noticed star gamers Alessia Russo and Ona Batlle go away on free transfers after prolonged contract negotiations with the membership.
Man Utd supervisor Marc Skinner reiterated his want for Earps to remain on the membership following their 6-0 defeat in opposition to Chelsea on the ultimate day of the WSL season.
“I’d love to work with Mary. Conversations are still ongoing. All I can do is work on my relationship with Mary and what we do on the field,” Skinner informed Sky Sports activities.
“I’d love her to stay but there are moments outside of the club representatives need to achieve. It’s important we don’t put the player in that. It’s not about Mary in this moment, it’s about representatives meeting.
“I actually take pleasure in working with Mary and hope I can proceed to try this.”
Earps gained the BBC Sports activities Character of the Yr Award in December for her string of spectacular performances because the Lionesses reached the Girls’s World Cup remaining, with the goalkeeper saving a penalty from Jenni Hermoso within the 1-0 defeat to Spain.
Earps’ recognition was summed up when Nike initially refused to promote her England duplicate goalkeeper shirt, just for it to promote out in 5 minutes after the sports activities producers carried out a U-turn.
Christiansen: Earps can play at a better stage
Sky Sports activities’ Izzy Christiansen stated:
“She’s been a consistently high performer off the back of two terrific major tournaments with England where she’s really taken her career up a notch.
“For Manchester United, if there is a participant of their XI who goes on and performs at a better stage, it is Mary Earps.”
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