Michelle Agyemang on her first major tournament, Alessia Russo’s support and England’s Euros hopes | OneFootball

Lionesses starlet Michelle Agyemang says that despite England’s slow start at the Euros, she’s soaking up each moment of her debut tournament.

“To be here is an absolute privilege, so I’m grateful for all the opportunities that I’m getting. It’s been quite a quick turnaround, but I’m happy to be here,” Agyemang said.

“To be here in the first place is more than enough for me. So no matter what my role is in the team, everyone’s role is to do the best they can, no matter if they’re starting or coming on or not even playing in the game. So wherever I am, as long as I’m helping the team out, that’s my main ambition.

“Looking at the Euros 2022 to now, it’s such a big difference in the growth and women’s game. So coming into it, it’s been a big shock just seeing the scale and the size of tournament, and it’s only going to get better from there.”

Agyemang took just 41 seconds to score her first England goal after making her senior debut against Belgium in April. Speaking on her immediate rise to stardom, Agyemang said she isn’t phased by the outside pressure.

“I think most of the pressure comes from myself,” Agyemang admitted. “I don’t try to listen to the noise, I appreciate the support from everyone. I think to focus on what I can do is most important, and then the noise will come around no matter what happens. I just focus on how I can improve my game and my life and help the team is my most important thing.”

The 18-year-old spoke on her relationship with Alessia Russo, revealing that “she’s a lovely girl”.

“I think the person I always go to is Less [Alessia Russo]. She’s so consistent in the way she plays, the way she trains, and you see on the pitch as well that she makes a big impact in the game. That’s obviously something that I strive to do whenever I get on the pitch.”

Agyemang was prescribed the challenge of being the game changer when the Lionesses faced France in Zurich, something she described as “the beauty of the game”.

“Sometimes it only takes 10 seconds to make an impact. So any time is good enough for me, and I’m grateful that I got that opportunity.”

Speaking on her relationship with head coach Sarina Wiegman, Agyemang expressed that she is grateful for the trust that the Dutch woman has instilled in her.

“I think most people will say that when they work with Sarina, she’s like a mum to us. She cares about our well being, she knows how to turn it on when we need to improve quality.

“For example, in training, she’s ready to step in and tell us, that’s not good enough, let’s be better. So I think she has that fine balance, and she’s put a lot of trust in me, which I’m really grateful for.”

England must now bounce back from their opening defeat to France as the side prepare to face the Netherlands in a must-win clash on Wednesday July 9. Agyemang will come head-to-head with Arsenal teammates Daphne van Domselaar and Victoria Pelova in Zurich, a moment she is relishing in.

“Obviously we know that the Netherlands have great players,” Agyemang admitted. “Looking at Viv [Miedema], [Victoria] Pelova, and [Danielle] Van de Donk was once at Arsenal as well. So we know that they have quality, but we do as well. So we believe in ourselves that we can go get the job done.

“We know we have two important games going on next, and just seeing how we were able to reflect on that and now turn our minds towards Netherlands has been a key lesson for me, but also for the rest of the team.”