Megan Campbell: ‘The progression since I was in last, we have come on leaps and bounds’

It has been a long road back from injury for Republic of Ireland international Megan Campbell. Indeed the Liverpool FC defender admitted at times she wondered would she ever get back onto the pitch after struggling to recover from knee and ankle concerns.

Now back playing regularly at club level, she has also made her return to the Ireland squad and is hoping to get some game time with the girls in green in this week's Pinatar Cup – starting with the Saturday’s match in Spain against Russia as wholesale changes are expected after Ireland’s 2-1 win over Poland on Wednesday.

“I mean I’m not going to lie and say that those thoughts [of retiring] didn’t go through my mind – some days they still do when I’m struggling,” admitted Campbell.

“But at the end of the day, I don’t want my body to be the reason why I stop. I want to be the one to choose when I want to finish my career. I know that means managing now that I’m older and I’ve had a few injuries but hopefully it’s on my terms when I do finish.

“It is never easy being away from football especially when it is your job and it is all you've every known. For me it is more difficult as I need to manage my load. I'm at the stage where my knee isn't in the best position like it used to be before the operation.”

As Ireland was battening down the hatches for the approaching Storm Eunice on Thursday, Campbell was enjoying the sunshine in the south of Spain from where she spoke via zoom with the Irish media. 

“It feels nice to be back in and around the girls, back wearing the Ireland jersey and I'm enjoying the camp. It is not bad to come back into a warm weather training camp.”

She rejoins the Ireland squad at the half-way point in World Cup qualification, with Vera Pauw’s side in second position in their group behind Sweden. Having been away from the squad for some time, with her last cap in October 2019, Campbell’s perspective on Ireland’s status on her return is noteworthy.

“The progression since I was in last, we have come on leaps and bounds,” said the 28-year-old player. “It’s great to see we are getting on the ball and we confident on the ball. We’re not afraid to create those passes under pressure. 

“The girls have done incredibly well and it’s not going to be easy (for me) to come back into the starting XI or come off the bench. 

“It has been incredible - the result against Australia in the friendly (3-2 win in Tallaght) and then leading big result in the last qualifying game (11-0 win over Georgia). That gave us a lot of posititivity. We are have a big test against Sweden in April and it was good to start off this tournament with a win over Poland who are ranked above us.

“It is great to see how far the team has come but it also gives us the confidence that when we do play against higher seeded teams that we are well able to hold our own.

“The professionalism within the girls has always been there in terms of the fitness and the drive to be as fit as possible as you are performing for your national team. Technically and tactically the girls are very far ahead from when I was in last. 

“We have the confidence to be on the ball and backing to do that. You have to take risk in football. If you want to win games, you need to score goals.“

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— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) February 16, 2022