Hemp tipped to be England's shining light at Euro 2022

Ex-England ace Rachel Unitt is tipping Lauren Hemp as the Lionesses player to watch out for at Women's Euro 2022 this summer. 

The Manchester City star, 21, is a three-time PFA Young Player of the Year award winner and appears ready to make a big impact on the international stage.

Though she represented Team GB at the 2020 Olympics, this is her first tournament for England. 

And the exciting winger is Unitt’s pick to break through and become a household name in July.

She said: "For me, Lauren [is the player to watch out for]. I've watched her this season and she is phenomenal. 

"She's in her early 20s and I think she’ll have a massive impact on both the England team and the tournament. 

"There are older players who have been there, done that and are also amazing, but I think it'll be Lauren Hemp.

"I like the way she plays — she is energetic, she’s got flair. So when she gets the ball she'll run at players and she's exciting to watch.

"She'll be the player for England this tournament who catches the eye."

England are contenders

Unitt, 39, played more than 100 times for England from her debut in 2000 to her final appearance in 2013.

She appeared in five tournaments and believes the squad Sarina Wiegman has named is good enough to win Euro 2022. 

Unitt added: "It’s a fantastic squad.

"What is important is there are players like Steph Houghton, Jill Scott, Lucy Bronze who have got the experience of playing in massive tournaments — World Cups, Champions League. 

"Then you have younger players and it’s a great balance. You need that. 

"We have some of the best players in the world in the squad. It'll be difficult to whittle the provisional squad down. Sarina has to go from 28 to 23 and I think she will find that difficult.

"But I think with the squad we have got we have the potential to go on and win the tournament.

"It'll go down to mental strength. Can we hold our nerve? If we can and deal with the pressure of a home tournament, I think we have a great chance"

The other contenders

The latest edition of the Euros will be one of the most competitive yet, with a host of teams believing they can lift the trophy at Wembley on July 31.

Unitt is wary of eight-time champions Germany, holders the Netherlands, France and less-fancied Denmark, but perhaps the Spanish more than anyone.

She said: "There are four or five teams that could potentially win the tournament. England, the French, Germany have won it loads of times. I think the Danes are going to be decent — and the Dutch.

"Then the Spanish. Spain are going to be phenomenal. Over the years they have just improved so much. 

"Barcelona have got nine or 10 of the Spanish starting XI. They play week in, week out, training together. 

"So that'll only strengthen their chances of competing and doing well in this tournament."

Festival of football

The last time England hosted the Euros was in 2005, when women’s football looked very different to what it does now and the Lionesses failed to get out of the group stage.

Yet that tournament still helped change the game, with more media coverage, more sponsorship and increased interest in the sport.

That could be the case again over the next 12 months once the dust has settled on this year's showpiece, especially if Wiegman's side reach the latter stages.

Unitt added: "When we hosted it back in 2005, the impact it had on women's football was phenomenal. 

"That is where the game turned around for me. Women's football has always been popular but I think that was a massive turning point. 

"The game is huge now and I think now we’ve got probably the strongest league in the world. 

"Years ago, a lot of English players were going abroad and playing in better leagues, but I think now a lot of the good players come to the UK. 

"This tournament is going to be massive. I think it's going to help the game grow even more. 

"To have the games in eight different cities across the country, it is a massive opportunity for people to see what women's football is about.

"I think it'll have a massive impact and there will be a whole new audience. It's going to be huge. 

"And if England are successful, that’ll be even better."

Full details of the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Roadshow schedule and timings are available here.