Toone: It was an honour to become an Olympian

The Manchester United Women winger made one appearance for Great Britain as Hege Riise’s side reached the quarter-finals, where they were knocked out in dramatic fashion by Australia.

Toone was a late call-up for the competition, originally being listed as a reserve before the decision was taken to expand the squads. Her match action came as a substitute in Team GB’s win against Chile.

Despite not featuring much on the pitch, Toone can now call herself an Olympian, a wonderful achievement at the age of only 21.

Reacting after her side’s exit, Ella wrote on Instagram: “Memories to last a lifetime! Honour representing Team GB at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!”

The focus for Toone will soon turn to the start of the Women’s Super League season. United get started against Leicester City in early September and so Ella will take some time to recover and reflect on a fantastic experience before preparing for the new campaign.

She’ll also be readying herself to work under a new manager. Marc Skinner was appointed as Casey Stoney’s replacement last week and five new players have joined the Reds already.

As for Toone’s own progress, the Olympics was another big step in her career. She received her first England call-up in September last year before making a goalscoring debut for the Lionesses in February of this year.

After her Tokyo trip, Ella will be hoping for more top-level international opportunities soon.