Sarina Wiegman’s England side will begin their Euros defence in July and there were times when Lauren Hemp wondered when she’d be able to return after a long lay-off

Lionesses star Lauren Hemp has admitted there were times during her long injury lay-off when she wasn’t sure when she’d next get to pull on an England shirt. Manchester City winger Hemp underwent surgery on a knee injury in November, keeping her out of her country’s first four UEFA Nations League games, but she returned with an assist on Friday in a thumping 6-0 victory over Portugal.

Club and international team-mate Alex Greenwood also made a Lionesses comeback on Friday after several months out, and the pair are back at the perfect time with Sarina Wiegman ’s team defending their Euros title in Switzerland in July.

“Obviously we’ve come back on the pitch together for City and we’re back now today, back in an England shirt, and it’s nice to share these moments with Alex because we’ve been there with each other through the whole thing,” Hemp said.

“It’s been a long journey, and earlier there’s been times where I’ve thought ‘when am I actually getting back on the pitch?’ after a few setbacks. But no, it’s a great…