Earps wants to keep making you proud
Manchester United Women goalkeeper Mary Earps says she and her Reds team-mates are striving to continue making our wonderful supporters proud this season.
There has been plenty for them to cheer about already this campaign, with United top of the WSL table at the February international break, and into the fifth round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup.
And since the winter break, the Reds have been unbeaten across all competitions, with Earps’s contributions in that run recognised by the United faithful, as the keeper was voted the team’s Player of the Month for January, in the inaugural edition of the official award.
Upon hearing news of the accolade, Mary - who is currently away representing England in the Arnold Clark Cup - issued a message to the fan base, while targeting further success upon the club season's resumption this weekend.
“Thank you very much for voting for me,” our no.27 said to the fans, in an interview with club media.
“I think they know how I feel about them, I massively appreciate all the support they give me and, hopefully, me and the rest of the team can continue to do them proud for the rest of the season.
“It’s pretty cool [to win the award]," she added. "To be named the first one, it’s really nice, really lovely.”
Mary played in each of United’s three games across the first month of 2023, keeping clean sheets in WSL wins over Liverpool and Reading, before helping to marshal the team to an FA Cup fourth-round win at Sunderland.
But does she have a moment that stands out from her efforts in January?
“Yeah, I would probably say the Reading save [to stop Justine Vanhaevermaet’s glancing header]. That game was obviously a really tough game, we maybe weren’t at our best and Reading made it really difficult for us.
“But I’m a big believer that those are the games you look back on when you take three points in those games against those types of teams who make it really hard for you and defend really well, you look back at them at the end of the season and they’re normally like markers in the sand, moments in time.
“So, to make that save in the last few minutes and keep the clean sheet intact – which I like to do – was great and allowed us to keep I think was our eighth clean sheet of the season at that point, so it was a good feeling.”
Stepping up in the big moments! 👏⛔️#MUWomen || #WSL
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) January 23, 2023
“It’s good, I think a lot of people were asking me about it at the time and I was a bit, not confused, but it’s something I’ve not really spent a lot of time thinking about because I’m still playing and, hopefully, I’ve still got many more years to come.
“I’m not thinking about setting records like that, I think that’s something you look back [on] at the end of your career, but to be the first person to reach 50 clean sheets, it’s a nice one to look back on in many, many years’ time and, hopefully, not too soon!”
Be sure to keep an eye on ManUtd.com and the United App next week – after our final game of the month at home to Durham on Sunday – for the launch of February’s United Women Player of the Month vote.
Tickets for this weekend's FA Cup tie at Leigh Sports Village – and our upcoming Old Trafford fixture against West Ham – are available to purchase here.