Ingle ‘will be ready’ for Wales’ Euro 2025 opener

Sophie Ingle says she will beryllium fresh to play successful Wales' opening crippled of Euro 2025 against nan Netherlands connected Saturday, 5 July.

Wales person been without nan influential 33-year-old for 9 months aft she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) past September.

The long-time erstwhile skipper has defied nan likelihood to make caput coach Rhian Wilkinson's squad for nan European Championship, and is presently portion of a pre-tournament campy successful Portugal.

Wales look nan Dutch successful Lucerne earlier games against France and England successful Group D astatine nan tourney successful Switzerland.

When asked whether she would beryllium disposable for nan Netherlands game, Ingle said "Yes. I consciousness good. I'm still ticking disconnected a fewer things complete nan adjacent week pinch nan aesculapian squad but I'm successful a bully spot connected nan transportation and each my testing is improving.

"I do consciousness really bully connected nan transportation correct now and immoderate domiciled I'm needed [to play] for nan squad I'll beryllium ready, but I'm still trying to push done nan fittingness broadside of things for nan adjacent week.

"I've been moving difficult successful nan power and I've sewage to play immoderate shot arsenic good which is nice. We've sewage 4 days of training successful a statement and past an in-house friends match."

With 141 world caps to her name, Ingle brings awesome acquisition to a squad building up to their first women's awesome tournament.

But aft months of questions astir whether she would make it to Switzerland, Ingle - who is looking for a caller nine this summertime aft a seven-year spell pinch Chelsea - insists she has stayed calm each along.

"I wasn't worried," Ingle told the Feast of Football podcast.

"I deliberation from erstwhile I first sewage injured I was ever unfastened astir it, saying that I'm coming nary matter what, whether I made nan squad, whether I was going to beryllium a training subordinate aliases whether I was going to beryllium a fan.

"I wanted to beryllium present pinch nan girls connected this travel and I would've done thing I could to get connected that plane, successful immoderate role. I would've been kit man if you wanted maine to.

"Obviously I ever wanted to get successful to nan squad and beryllium disposable for selection, but if my wounded had prevented that past I was going to beryllium here."

Even during her spell connected nan sidelines, Ingle's beingness has been felt wrong nan Wales squad, pinch nan midfielder aliases defender joining successful caller training camps arsenic portion of her rehabilitation.

She has besides worked arsenic a pitchside TV pundit for Wales games, including nan play-off triumph complete Republic of Ireland which saw Wales clinch their Euro 2025 place past December.

Ingle, who was connected crutches astatine nan time, was connected aerial discussing Wales' occurrence erstwhile she was whisked disconnected by her celebrating team-mates.

"It was bully that nan girls came complete to get maine and I could bask that pinch nan team. I deliberation that was a bully touch," Ingle said.

"When nan whistle went it was conscionable alleviation that nan girls had done it. We've been truthful adjacent successful nan past and been done truthful much, we could yet relax and bask nan moment.

"When I'm location and person to watch nan Wales games connected nan sofa it's not nan same. I want to beryllium successful nan stadium - I want to beryllium location pinch nan girls."