Lucy Bronze opens up on shock Mary Earps England decision and what she told PSG star

has revealed that she was one of the first people that England goalkeeper Mary Earps told about her retirement and departure from the .

Speaking at a press conference ahead of her country's , Bronze said: “I think I was the first person she called to tell. I was probably in the know before everyone else just because we have such a good bond and connection.”

The Chelsea right-back called Earps’s England career “absolutely fantastic”, adding: “Obviously the news was difficult to take as teammates, because we all love Mary, we all want her to be here.”

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However, Bronze said: “As a person and as a friend, we all accept her decision, we celebrate her, everything she’s done for this team both on and off the pitch.”

Earps had earned 53 international caps over eight years, and played a key role in the Lionesses’ victory at the 2022 Euros. She has also won two FIFA Best awards and a World Cup Golden Glove.

In a statement announcing her retirement last week, Earps said: “I have taken the difficult decision to retire internationally.

"It has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life, to wear this badge, represent my country and play alongside such an incredible group of players."

The 32-year-old goalkeeper said she had spent “a long time” making the decision to retire, but explained that it was “the right time” to “step aside and give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive”.

Earps had recently been replaced as starting goalkeeper by 24-year-old Hannah Hampton, who plays for Chelsea.

Bronze said that the team needed to “look forward” and praised the “fantastic goalkeepers” England has. She added that Earps has left a “great legacy” which means the younger keepers are in a “great position” because they’ve had “such a great mentor in the past number of years to learn from”.

She added: “Hopefully the goalkeepers that we have now can, I guess, live in that energy and enjoy the fact that they were able to work alongside such a great professional, and they can bring that to the team as well.”

After Earps made her statement, England manager Sarina Wiegman said she was left “disappointed” by the news as she had hoped that the goalkeeper would “play an important role within the squad this summer”.

Wiegman said: “Mary has been clear on her reasons why she has made the decision and it is something we need to accept. Mary has made a huge contribution to not only the team but the whole of English football.”

The Lionesses will be going up against Spain on Tuesday to fight for a place in the Nations League finals.

While England needs a win to progress, the world champions are two points ahead and simply have to avoid defeat to join France and Germany in the finals.