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Lucy Bronze leads tributes to former England manager Mo Marley following retirement

Mo Marley in charge of England - PA
Mo Marley in charge of England - PA
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Lucy Bronze has paid a heartfelt tribute to one of England's long-standing head coaches, Mo Marley, following the 53-year-old's retirement announcement on Wednesday, which brings an end to a 25-year association with the national side.

Marley, who received an MBE in recognition of her work to develop girls and women’s football in 2005, has been in charge of the Under-19 squad since 2000 following a successful playing career with Everton and England, winning 48 international caps.

In that time she has helped bring through a number of the game’s biggest names, including England and Manchester City right-back Bronze, who thanked Marley for her dedication.

In a thread of tweets, Bronze recounted one occasion when Marley, who had a brief period as interim Lionesses manager in 2017-2018, went 'above and beyond' for her.

“In my early 20s I was struck by a bunch of knee injuries,” Bronze wrote. “I ended up needing major knee surgery in London with one of the top surgeons. My mum took the day off work to take me for the actual surgery. But 3 months later I needed to go for the post op check up.

“Baring [sic] in mind I was in a brace and not able to walk, I obviously couldn’t drive either. I was your standard struggling student, studying in Leeds. My parents were both unable to take me to London, having work and considering they lived in the North East too.

“Mo, no questions asked, not taking no for an answer, drove from her home in Liverpool, to Leeds to get me, down to London for literally a 15 minute appointment, took me back home to Leeds and then drove herself home to Liverpool. 550 mile round trip!

“And I wasn’t really a hot prospect [and] had already been out injured for a year, taking another year to get back from surgery. [I] wasn’t with the England senior team, not even close…hadn’t reached any sort of potential, but what did that matter.

“I will forever be grateful for everything she did for me on a personal level, always known for going above and beyond for all her players. Truly a legend of the English game.”

Announcing her retirement, Marley, who was part of the Everton side which won the FA Cup in 1989 and was captain when they won the Premier League title in 1998, before also going to manage the club, said she had been proud to have played a part in the expansion and development of women’s football.

“It is an immense privilege and pleasure to have played a part with  England teams for the last 20 years. I have been very lucky to be given an  opportunity to do a job that I love and am so passionate about. I have so many  amazing memories over the years working with different players and staff.

"I am very grateful for the early opportunities I was offered to develop as a coach in  the international environment and feel now is the time to step down, allowing  other coaches to have those opportunities and to take England teams to the next  level. I will be the best supporter ever and look forward to watching all our England teams in the future."