AFP, Madrid :
Atletico Madrid forward Toni Duggan says England’s players are still behind Phil Neville as coach and has warned against complacency and the need to improve standards in the women’s game.
In an exclusive interview with AFP, Duggan also talked about her burgeoning friendship with Kieran Trippier and the upcoming reunion with Manchester City on Wednesday in the last 16 of the women’s Champions League.
Duggan and Barcelona lost to all-conquering Lyon in the final in May and the 28-year-old admits she would still be hurting had she not left the Catalans for a fresh start at Atletico in the summer.
Yet in between there was further heartache at the World Cup, where England were beaten in the semi-finals by eventual winners the United States and Neville has come under scrutiny since, during a run of one victory in six games.
“It’s been a lot to take in after the World Cup, maybe this is a transition period,” Duggan tells AFP from the training ground of Atletico Madrid’s women’s team in Madrid on Monday.
“I believe in Phil, he’s the coach and it can’t get like the men’s game where you sack the coach after three or four defeats. We have a plan and all the players are buying into it.”
