Alex Scott insists it is the 'right time' to retire from England duty
Tuesday 5 September 2017 16:22, UK
Alex Scott insists she has no regrets about calling time on her career with England after announcing her retirement from international football earlier this month.
Scott, the second-most capped England player in history, announced her decision to step down from the national team on Saturday, in the wake of the semi-final defeat to the Netherlands at Euro 2017.
The 32-year-old right-back, who will continue to play for Arsenal in the Women's Super League, admits she would have struggled to cope with the demands of the next World Cup in France in 2019.
"It just felt right - in my heart I knew that I would struggle to do another two years," said Scott. "If you asked me to play in a tournament that was tomorrow I would most probably say yes.
"It's hard, the build-up to a tournament. Putting yourself through strenuous stuff, I knew I couldn't do it. I just felt as though it was the right time to walk away."
Scott made her debut for England against the Netherlands in 2004 and the veteran defender ended her international career against a familiar foe, as the Lionesses suffered a heavy defeat to the Dutch at the European Championships this summer.
The former Birmingham City and Boston Breakers defender admits she briefly considered extending her international career before eventually deciding to retire on 140 caps.
"I went away on holiday after the Euros and thought 'do I really want to do this?'," said Scott. "The dream was always to play for England, from when I was a young eight-year-old that first signed for Arsenal.
"It wasn't an easy decision, I knew it was something that would take a lot of sacrifices but in my heart it just feels like the right time."
