Grace Clinton's star is on the rise quickly, and her cunning and skill are undeniable after spending a season on loan at Tottenham last year and making a huge impact on Manchester United's starting XI since September.
That talent was on display again in England's 1-0 win at a frigid Bramall Lane on Tuesday night, but another trait was also on display. That means she is a leader.
With Sarina Wiegman's B team, only Jess Park remained in charge after Saturday's 0-0 friendly draw with the USA, with Clinton taking charge.
The 21-year-old, making his fifth appearance for the first team, became the sixth-most capped player in the experimental squad. Only Millie Bright had 84 caps, Esme Morgan and Hannah Hampton had 10, and Park had 12 caps. – To all the Sheffield starting Lionesses. But the dictator was Clinton, the dynamic sun around which her teammates orbited, always there, collecting and sending out.
When England were in possession, Clinton wanted the ball and regularly raised his arm to request a pass. If we found a better option elsewhere, she pointed it where to go and to whom to go. If you want to put it in your feet, you would gesture toward the floor with both hands. This level of leadership from one of the most important creative areas on the pitch is exciting and unusual for someone so young and inexperienced at the top level.
England don't need depth in the number 10 position in theory, but in practice they are light. Euro 2022 mainstay Fran Kirby is suffering another injury following the game against the United States, while Ella Toone and Lauren James are recovering from calf injuries, with the latter missing the last two international camps, but Clinton could be the answer, and her on-field direction is outstanding. She was praised by her colleagues for this role.
In that respect, it was a shame that United's players were not given the chance to test out their budding relationships with England's senior players at Wembley on Saturday. Park was given that honor before making way for Kirby.
Asked about Clinton's remarkable leadership for someone her age, Wigman said it was because she and most of her team felt “very comfortable,” especially in the first half. ”.
“It felt so much easier to have players around her,” she said. “It was really good to see. What I would like to see more of from her is that she is directing things, even when the phases of the game are faster than they were tonight, but she is progressing well and improving. You can see what I'm doing.”
It's fitting that it was the Liverpool-born midfielder who broke the stalemate and scored England's only goal of the whole camp, and how important a player she is becoming, not just for the present but for the future. It tells you something. Millie Turner's watchfulness for the rebound after she headed Park's cross off the post and into the roof of the net reflected the confidence she was playing with. It was also her third goal in five games for the Lionesses, and while she couldn't extend the lead, her link-up play with Aggie Beaver-Jones was the highlight of a somewhat spotty game overall. – The number of caps on the pitch was small, as expected with 10 changes.
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Coach Wiegmann said that Clinton still has “some work to do” and that the young midfielder's next step is to “participate in the team more often and be consistent, but I was happy and she I can really see it growing,” he added. ”.
She’s building that consistency. She has already scored three goals in eight games for United and slots comfortably into midfield. Last season, she was on loan at Tottenham, scoring four goals in 20 games.
The Beatles' 'Revolution' and Oasis' 'Half the World Away' show that the B-side can outweigh the A-side, but there have been so many changes that Bramall Lane… There was little chance that Wiegmann's second strings would achieve that across the board.
But Clinton is an outlier, a player who looks ready for the big time and ready to seize the chance to earn a spot in the Euro 2025 squad in Switzerland. There's a chance that Clinton will be increasingly included in the starting lineup in the new year, which is exciting.
