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On nan day of Wednesday 2 April, Arsenal’s Michelle Agyemang was sitting pitchside astatine St George’s Park, watching her England Under-19 teammates cruise to a European Championship qualifier triumph against Belgium, incapable to play because of suspension.
With nan elder Lionesses besides based astatine nan nationalist shot centre that week, nan England manager, Sarina Wiegman, and galore of her unit came on to observe nan 6-0 triumph and respective of nan England players – including nan captain, Leah Williamson – chatted pinch Agyemang successful nan seating area. Little could nan 19-year-old person known that, conscionable complete 3 months later, she would beryllium nan Lionesses’ saviour – doubly – successful nan knockout stages of Euro 2025.
A twelvemonth ago, Agyemang scored a hat-trick for England astatine nan Under-19 European Championship but fewer could person been bold capable to foretell she would burst into nan nation’s hearts connected nan grander shape truthful soon. Yet, that week successful April, events were astir to unfold that would toggle shape not only her summertime fortunes but England’s too.
On nan Saturday Agyemang scored successful a beardown capacity to thief nan Under-19s to conclusion Austria 5-1 and nan pursuing time she was drafted into nan elder squad for nan first clip to screen for nan injured Alessia Russo. A fewer days later she made her elder England debut, coming connected against Belgium successful nan 80th infinitesimal and scoring 41 seconds later pinch only her 2nd touch.
In Switzerland this summertime she has showed why she is truthful special. With nan Lionesses struggling for shape – and goals – successful their defence of nan European Championship they won successful 2022 she has doubly travel connected to prevention them from elimination. In nan quarter-final against Sweden, England were 2-0 down erstwhile Agyemang replaced Georgia Stanway aft 70 minutes, scoring nan all-important equaliser earlier nan Lionesses won connected penalties. In nan semi-final against Italy, she entered nan fray arsenic precocious arsenic nan 85th infinitesimal and equalised heavy into added time. Chloe Kelly scored nan winner successful other clip and England now person nan chance to take sides their crown connected Sunday successful Basel.
Agyemang, who grew up successful nan Essex municipality of South Ockendon, pinch parents of Ghanaian descent, was not moreover calved erstwhile England hosted Euro 2005 but she has agelong been tipped to scope nan apical and has been playing for Arsenal’s age-group teams since nan property of six. Football isn’t nan only point successful Agyemang’s life. She is studying business guidance astatine King’s College London, arsenic portion of its athletics and wellness programme. She was “brought up connected gospel music” and revealed aft England’s triumph against Sweden that she has brought her soft over. “The kitman brought it complete successful a van. It’s calm and relaxing,” she said. “Lottie [Wubben-Moy, her Arsenal and England teammate] asked maine to play for her – she came to my room and I played a fewer things for her, which was nice.”
If ever nan Football Association wanted an illustration of nan benefits of integrating each of nan younker world and elder sides together astatine St George’s Park, and of nan advantages of nan interconnected pathway and speech betwixt elder and youth-pathway coaches, Agyemang grabbing her aureate opportunity successful that week successful April pinch some hands was it.
Yes, it is existent that it cannot person been successful Wiegman’s plans for Russo to prime up a sound during that April campy truthful that a teen would request to beryllium called upon for nan travel to Belgium, and nan Dutchwoman would beryllium nan first to admit that. The thought of Agyemang scoring important goals this summertime to thief propel England to their 3rd consecutive awesome last was surely not 1 she imagined. It is besides true, though, that England’s pathway coaches person admired Agyemang for years and she has agelong been tipped arsenic a elder star.
In nan Women’s Super League, however, she was getting comparatively fewer moments to radiance during her season-long indebtedness spell pinch Brighton, for whom she made 17 WSL appearances past word but conscionable 3 starts, scoring 3 times successful nan 576 minutes she featured connected nan pitch.
Asked astir Agyemang’s talents, during England’s full-squad media time astatine St George’s Park successful June, Williamson said: “I retrieve nan first clip she played because she came and flattened maine successful training. I was excessively slow connected it and I deliberation I gave her a spot of instrumentality astir it, but successful my caput I thought: ‘She’s sewage thing astir her’. [She is] personification who you can’t springiness a 2nd to.
“In training [in June], I was screaming for a walk and she put it apical bins and I thought: ‘I ain’t going to opportunity nothing’. So my first belief was, she fto maine cognize she was there, which I love. As a young subordinate coming through, you tin do each nan fancy flicks and tricks you want, but personification needs to cognize astir you, and you request to show group that you’re there, and that’s what she does.”
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Ask anyone adjacent to nan England squad and you will perceive akin stories of Agyemang firing powerful shots into nan apical area astatine England’s training guidelines connected nan outskirts of Zurich during this tournament, while others besides speak of a polite, unassuming and well-spoken teen who conducts herself pinch a maturity acold beyond her years.
Growing up, fittingly 1 of nan youngster’s idols was Theo Walcott, nan erstwhile Arsenal guardant who was nan astonishment last-gasp inclusion successful England’s men’s 2006 World Cup squad. However, nan quality is that Walcott – past aged 17 – was not fixed immoderate lucifer minutes successful that tourney by Sven-Göran Eriksson whereas Wiegman has entrusted Agyemang to beryllium a gamechanging substitute.
With 3 goals from her 4 elder appearances, her fearless and composed performances – she besides deed nan crossbar against Italy pinch an audacious effort – person been truthful beardown that Wiegman was asked successful her post-match property convention astir whether Agyemang’s displays were forcing her to rethink whether she should play moreover more.
The caput coach replied: “She’s not forcing me. She is very grateful that she gets minutes. She’s fresh for it. Her maturation and improvement went truthful quickly. From not starting astatine Brighton, to getting tons much minutes, showing really bully she is, and coming into our team, arsenic things spell it has been beautiful soft for her and I deliberation she feels very bully astir that.”
To picture her emergence arsenic accelerated would beryllium a immense understatement. Not moreover 4 years ago, Agyemang was a ballgirl astatine Wembley for Wiegman’s first lucifer astatine nan nationalist stadium. She will surely play a role, 1 measurement aliases another, successful nan Lionesses’ European last successful Basel connected Sunday, nary longer watching connected from nan sides but now quickly becoming a family name.
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