Ellen White says she is not yet brave enough with new manager Sarina Wiegman to “do a Harry Kane” and ask to be picked. It is a joke within the England men’s camp that whenever there is a sniff of some cheap goals, captain Kane is always in Gareth Southgate’s ear begging not to be rested.
In a similar vein, White’s two goals in the 8-0 drubbing of Norway guarantees England top spot in Group A without even kicking a ball against bottom-of-the-group Northern Ireland in the final match on Friday.
Her brace also moves her to 52 goals for England, two beyond Kane in terms of senior international goals and just one behind the all-time top record scorer of either gender, Wayne Rooney.
But that does not mean White is about to go knocking on Wiegman’s door demanding to be picked.
“I do what I am told!” she said when the idea is put to her. “I just love playing for England I will do anything I can for this team on or off the pitch to help them to succeed. It is an absolute joy to be part of this team.
“I love playing football and, yes, I love scoring goals. I think you could see my euphoria for every single person who scored a goal – it was absolutely insane. I am just delighted to have helped the team.
“The talent is insane and the depth is incredible. We have got got phenomenal talent in Beth and Hempo across the board. Even the players we have coming on give us another edge and it is exciting to watch and a dream for me to be amongst it and have that delivery into the box.
“But getting records? That’s not my priority. For me, I love playing for England and will do anything I can on or off the pitch to do that. It’s an absolute pleasure for me to be part of this team and I feel so much pride and I am really enjoying it at the moment.”
Indeed, she baulks at the comparison with the top scorers in the men’s game but is mollified slightly when it is pointed out a goal is still a goal. “Phenomenal names, yes,” White said. “It’s a difficult one because you are comparing men and women, but I feel very lucky…
“Same-sized goals? Well, exactly. I feel incredibly honoured to be in among those names but I am incredibly proud to play for England and I think everybody knows that.”
ENGLAND’S TOP SIX SENIOR SCORERS
1. WAYNE ROONEY 53 (120 caps), 2. ELLEN WHITE 52 (109 caps); 3. HARRY KANE 50 (71 caps); 4. BOBBY CHARLTON 49 (108 caps); 5. GARY LINEKER 48 (80 caps); 6. KELLY SMITH 46 (117 caps)
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