Friday 28 June 2019 23:58, UK
England goalkeeper Mary Earps has joked she should receive the Golden Boot if team-mate Ellen White ends the Women's World Cup as the leading goalscorer.
White scored her fifth goal of the tournament in France, becoming England's all-time leading goalscorer at Women's World Cups, as the Lionesses beat Norway 3-0 to reach the semi-finals on Thursday.
The 30-year-old striker is on track to finish as the Golden Boot winner after she moved level alongside United States duo Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe as well as Australia's already-eliminated Sam Kerr at the top of the scoring charts.
Earps, who is at her first World Cup, is a back-up goalkeeper behind first choice Karen Bardsley and Carly Telford and the Wolfsburg 'keeper is full of praise for White.
"I think I should just be presented with the Golden Boot to be honest with you!" Earps told Sky Sports News.
"No, Ellen works super hard. She has developed into a really clinical striker over the last few years.
"Of course the finishers are doing extra practice all the time so I am sure she will give me some credit!
"She has deserved it, she has earnt it and she is in incredible form. Long may it continue because we want to lift that trophy!"
Earps is enjoying the role of providing extra training time to her team-mates, describing her first experience at a senior major tournament as a "whirlwind".
She said: "I am just trying to maximise every single day, every single minute that I can get on the pitch and anything that I can do on the pitch to help the team.
"If that means I am staying behind and doing extra shooting practices with the team to help them feel better prepared, then that is really rewarding for me because the girls do feed that back to me.
"If I am not doing a good job they will let me know! But if they are saying, 'Mary I really appreciate that' then that makes it worth it for me.
"It is obviously difficult when you don't get on the pitch but I also know I have a lot of things I need to do to make sure the team are motivated, happy and healthy."
Earps says England's "great form" is proof of the impact head coach Phil Neville has had on the squad, while the 26-year-old offered a simple message of their determination for success.
"Let's lift that trophy in a couple of weeks' time," she said.
Meanwhile, Earps' team-mate Lucy Staniforth has highlighted the unity within the squad as they aim to win the World Cup for the first time, having finished third in 2015.
"I am just so proud to be in this position and to be around the girls," the Birmingham City midfielder said.
"They are so inspirational, even the ones that don't get on the pitch. It is a real group effort and it is a pleasure to be with them."
