Mia Enderby interview (SK86) | OneFootball

A debut top-flight season for Mia Enderby brought ample proof of the potential that convinced Liverpool to grant her long-held wish of a chance in the WSL. The now-19-year-old’s stunning skill, run and finish against Manchester City in the Conti Cup – voted the team’s Goal of the Season – was a show-stealing example of the ‘street footballer’ creativity lauded by her manager Matt Beard.

Direct and daring, with a smooth sense of something extra to her style, the question might not be whether she’s one to watch, but how long before the Young Lionesses prospect’s talents are unavoidable.

SK: First off, your former teammate Courtney Sweetman-Kirk said on TV commentary last season that she was telling you at Sheffield United to get on the weights! Do you remember her saying that, and how much have you been taking her advice?

ME: I do remember her saying that; it was so funny, I wasn’t expecting it. But yeah, I’ve been working hard in the gym, trying to get stronger.

SK: The goal you scored against Man City, every time that pops up on social media, do you think ‘go on then, I’ll watch it again!’?

ME: Yeah, it was a proud moment for me and my family, because obviously I’d scored my first (Liverpool) goal. Every time I see it come up, I always watch it about five times! But you know…I have to do what I’ve got to do!

SK: It was a really strong year for the team (4th in the WSL, Liverpool’s highest finish in a full season since last winning the title in 2014). How happy with your own season were you?

ME: I was really happy. When I first came in, I wasn’t expecting to get a lot of minutes, but obviously that’s changed, and I’m really grateful to the staff for that. I had a couple of injuries at the start, but you can turn a negative into a positive; you just have to work harder to make sure you’re not getting these constant injuries.

SK: Coming up to the WSL for the first time, what did you notice about the players you were facing? Was there a defender you tried to knock it past and then realised they were faster and stronger than you thought?!

ME: Obviously, everyone in the WSL is at a high level, but I’d probably say Jess Carter; she’s a strong player. I remember when we played Chelsea, I tried to knock it past her and run, and she was there straight away!

SK: What about players you’ve really learned from so far at Liverpool, on or off the pitch?

ME: All the girls give me advice but I’d mainly say Gemma Bonner. She’s experienced in the game, she lives 20 minutes away (from Mia’s home in Bradford) – she’s from Leeds – so we kind of get along. She’s always there for me; when I need someone, she’s the person to go to.

SK: You’d been at Sheff United but was this move to Liverpool the first time you’d lived away from home?

ME: When I was still at Sheff, I lived at home, so it was quite easy. When I came to Liverpool, I had to move, which was obviously frightening, because I’ve never moved away from home. I’m kind of getting used to it now; it’s the life of being a footballer, you’ve got to make those sacrifices.

SK: What kind of things have been new? Have you been doing your washing for the first time?!

ME: Well…obviously I get my mum to do my washing! But now, I’ve got to do it myself, and I’ve got to cook myself, so I’m just kind of getting in that routine of doing things myself.

SK: You’ve been part of the photoshoots recently for the club’s new kits. Do you enjoy that sort of stuff? Is it ever nervy?

ME: I’d never been in a kit shoot, and I remember when I first got asked, I was quite nervous, but I was really excited as well to see how good the pictures look.

SK: The photo you did for it on the Liverpool-red scooter (1960s Vespa), what did you think when they first mentioned that?!

ME: To be fair, I was actually more shocked at what they got me to wear – them shoes I had to wear were awful! But having that experience of doing things like that is brilliant.

SK: On the Scouse theme…Missy Bo Kearns leaving this summer (for Aston Villa). What will you miss about her? What won’t you miss?!

ME: I think what I’ll miss about her is just being around her every day, pretty much. She’s funny, she’s crazy, and I think that’s what people need in a group, that sort of person who just brings a lot of energy to the group. What I don’t miss about her…to be fair, I don’t think there’s anything! I think I just miss her in general and how she was around the group.

SK: What has Matt Beard specifically tried to work on in your game so far? What has it also been like having that sort of manager, with the environment he tries to create?

ME: On the football side, we’ve been talking a lot about what I can do better; sort of like defensive positioning, reaction if I lose the ball. I feel like having those conversations with him is really encouraging me to do better, and I think that’s what you need from a manager. Then personal sort of view, he’s like a dad really; he’s just so nice and he cares a lot about his players. I feel that’s what you need, a manager like that.

SK: Is it the kind of vibe where you want to do well for him because you don’t want to let him down?

ME: Yeah, definitely. I feel personally, I want to just work hard for him. Like I said, he’s a father figure, and I just don’t want to let him down. I want him to be proud of me and I think the team does as well. I feel like when I’m on the pitch, he’s always encouraging people, and if I do something wrong, he’s always there to lift me up. I feel like that’s really important.

SK: Taking players on, do you get a buzz off trying that, because players can often be afraid to try, in case it goes wrong?

ME: Yeah, that’s been a part of my game since I was younger. I’ve always loved getting at players, and the buzz that I feel getting past them and creating something is just amazing.

SK: Did you always feel confident playing football growing up? Because you were in a boys’ team for a while, and you’ve said before how that wasn’t the nicest, so did you always keep that enjoyment?

ME: Obviously, when I was younger, I was the only girl in the team, and the boys didn’t like it, but I feel like that’s made me the player I am today, taking the negatives and putting it into a positive. Not everyone’s going to like that a girl’s playing against boys and stuff like that, but like I said, I feel like it’s helped me become the player I am now.

SK: You got a couple of goals at the Under-19 EUROs with England (in Lithuania) this summer (including one in the semi-final loss to Spain). It wasn’t quite the outcome you were aiming for as a team but how was that experience overall?

ME: The experience was amazing for all of us. Going into the tournament, we had the Lionesses do a social-media post about us, which obviously boosted all our confidence. The games were tough, but I feel like as a team, we tried our best, that’s what counts. We thought we were going to come away with the win, to be honest, we were all confident, but I guess that’s part of the game; you’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some. We tried our best and we couldn’t ask for anything else.

SK: Coming up with England at those younger age groups, are there any especially strong connections you’ve made with teammates?

ME: We’ve all come up to the age groups together but I really get along with (Aston Villa forward) Georgia Mullett. Last camp, she had an injury, so she couldn’t play any games, which she was devastated about, but she showed that encouragement and passion to be able to boost us all, even though she wasn’t on the pitch. She was my roommate, and we had those conversations about how she can be ready for what happens next.

SK: Tell us about where you’ve come from and your family’s part in where you are now. Your mum always seems really proud of what you’re achieving.

ME: Coming from Bradford, I kind of had a rough sort of childhood – it’s not the best to live in, crime, that sort of thing – but without my mum, I wouldn’t be where I am today; she made a lot of sacrifices for me. Obviously, without her, I wouldn’t be doing so well. I know she’s so proud of me and all my family is. I feel like that’s what drives me to improve more, just making her proud.

SK: How have you been finding the adaptation to being at this level, in terms of more people knowing who you are, being on TV sometimes, all of that?

ME: To be honest, it’s always been a dream of mine to be in the WSL and be on the telly, so I was kind of excited knowing that some of our games would be on Sky. Having my family watch me and cheer for me, it’s just amazing and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

SK: Have you been getting recognised in Liverpool yet?

ME: Yeah, I remember one time I was walking with my mate through Liverpool ONE, and I had about six people coming up to me and asking for a picture! I guess that’s the exciting part; I’ve got some young footballers that look up to me, and I just want to prove to them that anything you put your mind to, it can happen.

SK: Let’s mention Sheff United’s part in your development, and Leeds (United’s Regional Talent Centre) before that. What would you say about the impact that each of those had?

ME: I feel like Leeds helped me a lot through my career. Obviously, I was young, so I had my ups and downs, but they brought me back up to where I needed to be. Through Sheffield, it was hard at first, because I wasn’t getting the minutes that I would really like, but they’ve helped me become the player I am today, through their confidence and the manager (at the time, Neil Redfearn) putting all their trust in me.

SK: You wear number 13, which was typically seen as one for a back-up goalkeeper, or just an unlucky number in general! Is there a reason why you went with that?

ME: Yeah, I asked for that number because when I first started football, I was number 13, so when I put that shirt on, it’s kind of bringing back memories from when I was younger. I feel like wearing that number is really important to me.

SK: Have any refs ever said anything about you wearing your socks down? Anything like ‘are you actually wearing any shin pads?’?

ME: I remember the game against Chelsea, I had my socks down and my shin pads are about that big (really small), and the ref was like, ‘Have you got shin pads in?’ Millie Bright was stood near me and she was laughing, and saying, ‘You’ll regret that soon!’ because I don’t cover my shins, but…it is what it is!

SK: When did you start doing that? It wasn’t because of Jack Grealish, was it?!

ME: No, my calves aren’t that big! To be fair, I’ve always worn my socks down, it’s just a thing of mine.

SK: Winning trophies, playing for England at senior level, obviously you want those things, but how deeply do you think about where you want to get to? Have you ever watched or been at Lionesses games and pictured yourself doing that – maybe the EURO semi-final at Bramall Lane (v Sweden in 2022) when you were a Sheffield United player?

ME: I don’t really think about it too much, I kind of just go with the flow and focus on where I am now, instead of planning for what the future holds. I watched the EUROs on the telly, I didn’t go to one of the games, but I remember when I was younger, me and my mum used to go to the England games all the time. The players I play against now, I used to look up to them when I was little, so it’s amazing.

SK: Outside of football, what do you spend most of your time on?

ME: To be fair, when I go home after training, I just go on my Xbox, that’s literally all I do! But I feel like that kind of switches my brain off from football, having fun with my friends online on my Xbox. That just kind of chills me out and takes my mind off it.

SK: What games do you play?

ME: Call of Duty!

SK: Finally, it seems like most players have dogs now. Have you, and if not, what would you choose?

ME: I don’t have a dog, but if I was to get a dog, I want like a big sort of guard dog. What would I want? I want a Dobermann. Or…do you know a Cane Corso? I want one of them – big dogs!