Jordan Nobbs has outlined the competitiveness that runs through the England Women’s squad ahead of next month’s World Cup.
The Arsenal midfielder, 22, is a member of the Lionesses group that will fly to Canada on Monday 25 May.
Earlier this week, Alex Scott and Fara Williams, who have both earned over 100 caps, alluded to the fact that even they were uncertain of their place in the 23.
And Nobbs attributes that doubt to head coach Mark Sampson refusing to show his hand.
She said: "We were all very nervous waiting on that call from Mark but we can kind of relax now and focus on Canada.
"Nobody knew who was going to be in the squad and nobody knows who is going to start because Mark has kept us all on our toes.
"That has kept us fresh and lively. We all want to be in that team and that competitiveness has shown through in our last few games.
"We are all fighting for places."
It will be Nobbs’s first taste of a senior World Cup, though she captained her country in an U17s World Cup in 2008 and then appeared at the U20s tournament two years later.
Nobbs lifts aloft the Cyprus Cup
She donned the armband in March when Sampson’s side defeated Canada in the Cyprus Cup final and again in their World Cup send-off, a 2-1 win over China last month.
England begin their World Cup campaign against France in Moncton, New Brunswick, on Tuesday 9 June. They then face Mexico on 13 June and Colombia on 17 June in their initial group stage.
Nobbs added: "A World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that everyone wants to be a part of.
"I was desperate to be on that plane. To get the call was a dream come true.
"The girls are fully focused on the games to come.
"In our past performances, we have showed what we can do as a team. And playing against some really top teams in the build-up has given us the advantage of going into the tournament having been tested and with a better game understanding.
"We’ve got to take it one game at a time, treat every game like a final and get as far as we can in the tournament."
