The Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs is buzzing to be back in England kit after a lengthy spell out of action with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. “It was weird because I forgot the excitement of what it’s like being called up again,” Nobbs says before training at St George’s Park this week. “I can’t believe it’s been so long but it was exciting.”
The thrill of ending an 11-month absence from international duty is enhanced by Saturday’s friendly against Brazil taking place at Middlesbrough, where Nobbs’s England journey began when she was attached to the club. “I first got picked for England at 12 years old at Middlesbrough so it was kind of fate that it is my first camp back for England,” says Nobbs, who was born in Stockton-on-Tees. “Hopefully I can have a lot of family and friends there to see me back playing for England.”
Having ruptured an ACL against Everton in November 2018, Nobbs had a tough choice: whether to attempt to recover for the World Cup. “It was a hard decision as obviously nobody wants to say they don’t want to go to a World Cup. But I’m 26 and I have heard some disaster stories as well as good stories so it was about weighing that up.” That she ruled herself out, putting her long-term health above the short-term gain, has meant that she has been in no hurry to rush things now she is fit.
“I didn’t want to be thrown in at the deep end,” she says. “Arsenal and Joe [Montemurro, the manager] have been incredible and to get the minutes I have with the squad we have, I’ve been very lucky.”
When Nobbs fell to the ground in agony playing for Arsenal against Everton last November, her screams echoed around Southport’s ground and the crowd held their breath. The possibility of England’s midfield engine being ruled out would, for some, rule England out of contention in France.
The 10 months out developed Nobbs away from the pitch. For one, she joined the BBC’s punditry team for the World Cup. “After I was with the BBC at the World Cup I’d be going into [motorway] services and people were like: ‘Oh, you do punditry,’ and I’m like: ‘No, I play football,’” she says with a laugh. “I’ve kind of flung the mic now! But I did really enjoy it and I can’t thank the BBC enough because they did get me through a difficult time actually.
“In a selfish way it was good for me. Some people thought it was crazy that I was going out to the World Cup when I wasn’t playing but my mindset was in a much better place; it allowed me to focus on different job roles. It could have gone drastically wrong but I’m very grateful I played a part in that.”
Having almost scored instantly on her return for Arsenal, a goal has taken six games to come, but it came in style – a tight, angled volley from a Vivianne Miedema cross. The problem was she took it with the wrong foot, her right foot, ending an amusing run of 15 Arsenal goals being scored with alternating feet. “None of the girls knew where that stat came from but I’m the dumb one of the team so when it was me it was like: ‘Typical Jordan.’ I got a bit of stick for that ...”
The focus is on staying fit, for Arsenal, who are the closest they have been to a fully fit squad in a year, and for England, not least because she is eyeing an Olympic spot. “The last Olympics I was in the long list squad. It’s the biggest tournament you could be a part of. Being part of Team GB is my goal.”
Avoiding injury is key, too, because of her impact in the dressing room. Montemurro recently spoke of her influence on morale. “No pressure,” she says with a grin. “I hope so. I think about Steven Gerrard: he was a player I looked up to a lot, his work rate and things like that. I hope that puts you already at a certain standard. I like to think the girls would listen but they’re in an incredible place anyway where we all respect each other and we all want to win.”
