How complex Jess Carter became England’s stalwart of quiet calm

Centre-back endured a difficult few years at Chelsea but is now fulfilling the potential she first showed as a teenager

“Do you want to play for your country?” Emma Hayes asked Jess Carter. It was the summer of 2019: two years since Carter’s form as an exciting teenager at Birmingham City had won her a single England cap and, later, a move to Chelsea. But in between times the young defender had lost her way a little. Her first season had gone badly. And her manager had had enough.

“I do, but not now,” Carter replied. “I’m not ready for it.”

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