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Lionesses news conference Jess Carter speaks to media Earps announces retirement from international football Carter "surprised and really sad" Manager Sarina Wiegman "disappointed" by Earps' annoucement Lionesses host Portugal in the Women's Nations League on Friday Get Involved: Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Alastair Telfer, Ben Ramsdale & Melissa Edwards England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) If you're just joining us, England defender Jess Carter has been facing the media this afternoon to preview Friday's game against Portugal. Understandably, the news conference was dominated with questions surrounding the news that goalkeeper Mary Earps has retired from international duty with immediate effect. Here are some of the top lines from Carter: England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England That is all from Jess Carter. You can tell she is very close to Mary Earps. England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter on how it will feel not having Mary Earps shouting instructions behind her: "Maybe a bit calmer! I love having a goalkeeper behind me that doesn't stop talking. I can recall a few times where I've told her she can chill a little bit but it gives us so much confidence and confidence is key when playing. Knowing that she is there and talking and helping organise is great. " On how the defence will change without Earps behind them: "I think that's a question for Sarina [Wiegman]. For me I don't think anything changes. We still try and do the same things as a a team whether that's Mary or Hannah [Hampton] playing. Regardless of who is in goal, we stick to our gameplan because we've got excellent goalkeepers at England who can all step up. " England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter on Lucy Bronze: "Lucy is great. She is energetic, hardworking and possibly the most competitive human I have ever come across. I think that shows when she just turns up game after game, camp after camp and continues to put in incredible performances for club and country. "I think having her directness in the camp is really important. Being vocal is really important and she definitely brings that. She has got so much leadership and yet she is still youthful and hangs out with the youngsters as much as she can as well. She has a great balance and she is a huge player for England. "I think she has an incredible mentality. Her mentality drives the team to want to win the same way as she does. She has so much experience that it only benefits the rest of the team. " So Mary Earps has put down the international gloves, but there's time to look back on some of her best moments. The goalkeeper made her international debut off the bench in 2017 in a friendly against Switzerland, but greatness only came after current head coach Sarina Wiegman took the reins in 2021. Earps returned to the England set-up in September 2021 with a victory over North Macedonia, as she began to cement her place ahead of Euro 2022. The Lionesses secured their first major trophy with Earps between the sticks for every minute of their Euro 2022 triumph. England went on to win the inaugural Women's Finalissima against Brazil. Despite England losing out to Spain in the final, the 32-year-old won the Golden Glove at the 2023 World Cup. Earps' most recent and now final appearance for the Lionesses was in a 1-1 draw against Portugal in the Women's Nations League at the start of the year. England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter on whether there was any surprise that Mary Earps' announcement came so close to Euro 2025: "Initially the Euros didn't even cross my mind. My focus was just on the news of Mary leaving. It's just really sad. I didn't even think about the Euros. Firstly, the bravery that she has to stay true to herself and make the decision to leave. "This is such a tough job to do for club and for country. Yes it's a team sport but ultimately you have to be the best version of you in order for the team to be successful. "I think it's really brave the decision she has made. Sometimes it's not about the team, it's just about you. I'm really sad about it and I wish her all the best in what she does next. " #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Her presence on the pitch is incomparable to any other world-class keeper and her ability to perform in big moments will be greatly missed. Her decision to step down from the England team is understandable, especially if she's given everything she can to just be number two and considering the time commitment that the Euros will be when she was unlikely to play in any games - her decision is completely justifiable. Lily England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter on helping the young players when losing someone with the experience of Mary Earps: "I think we just try and encourage the youngsters to just be themselves. Sometimes they forget that they are also here for the right reason - they have earned the right just like everybody else. "Look at Michelle [Agyemang] - she got called up at the last second in the last camp, scored a worldie and she has earned the right to be here again. Michelle is a perfect example of why we want the younger generation to be up here. " #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) I don't understand why people are writing in to say Earps deserved another tournament at number one. She hasn't been dropped from the England squad, she has decided to retire. She was clearly going to go to the Euros and may well have played a part. It's Earps herself who has taken the decision which means she will not be at the Euros, no one else! Tim England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter on how she and her team-mates will fill the void after losing someone with a big presence like Mary Earps: "I guess the same way we had to after the last Euros when we had some real big characters leaving. It goes back to everyone having to step up and doing that little bit extra on and off the pitch and being the most together team we can be to put in the best performances. " England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter was asked what attributes Hannah Hampton can bring to the squad: "I think we've got a lot of goalkeepers here that are all excellent goalkeepers. I've played with Hannah the most and I know she's incredible with her feet. "I haven't watched much of the WSL in the last season so I have no idea how she's doing there to be honest but obviously when she's playing for England she works as hard as she can and she has got a responsibility to step up and perform. "In the same way that the other 25 players have as well. We all have to step up and perform and do much better than we have been doing. " #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Such a shame Mary Earps has retired just before Euro 2025. She would have been such an inspiration to the squad and the best cover we could have had, if needed. I suspect the whole squad is going to miss her. Anon England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter on how the mood was when the squad heard of Mary Earps' retirement: "I think it was a surprise for some and maybe not for others - I don't know, I just know how I felt really. It was definitely sad for everybody involved but we almost had to move on from it - we've got a game that we have to focus on. We've got analysis of the last game we played and prep for the new one. " England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter on the competition to get into the final squad for the Euros: "There is a lot of competition. I'm feeling in a much better place. I'm feeling good, I'm well into my season now and I'm hoping it's enough to get some more minutes on the pitch. On the squad announcement: "I don't even know when it is to be honest. I just focus on what I'm doing today, tomorrow and the next game. For me, hopefully I can do enough to be part of that final squad and I think every single player here will work so hard to make sure they are there as well. " #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Hampton has played big games against Arsenal, City and United this season, as well as Champions League fixtures. Mary's only big games came against Lyon and Juventus, who knocked PSG out of Europe. However, I feel Mary deserved one more tournament as number one. Anon England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter was asked about Mary Earps' career journey: "I think it's incredible. I think she was overlooked for a long time and playing for England meant so much to her and you could see it every time she put the top on. She has had some incredible achievements on and off the pitch. "I think people maybe forget what she's done for the women's game off the pitch is phenomenal - particularly for goalkeepers. The way that she's helped to raise women's football in this country is unbelievable and I wish her all the best in what she does next. " #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) I think Mary’s experience will be missed. Mary has the capability of organising and her voice can be heard from across the other side of the pitch. Hannah doesn’t do that. Yes, she has good technical ability with her feet, but she doesn’t have the voice that Mary does in matches. That's what will cost us at the Euros this summer. Anon England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter on how much of a loss Mary Earps is to the side: "It's a huge loss. She's an incredible person and goalkeeper. She doesn't lack in the confidence department on the pitch so it's really nice to have her behind us. We no longer have that so it's about building those connections with the other goalkeepers that we've got and making sure they are as strong as possible for the Euros and the upcoming games. " England v Portugal (Fri, 19: 45 BST) England England defender Jess Carter was asked what it was like when Mary Earps said goodbye to everyone yesterday: "Firstly it was nice to see her but then yes, it was a little bit tough. I can imagine it was tougher for her than anyone else so we just tried to be there to support her and be together as a team. " #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Yes, the timing could have been better, but I believe Mary had been thinking about this for the past six months. The 'Hampton is a little ahead' comment probably tipped it for her. For me, Mary deserved one more tournament. Bryan Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.