England take on Germany in the final of the 2022 UEFA European Women's Football Championships this weekend. The nation will be watching with anticipation on Sunday (July 31) as the Lionesses try to do what the men's team failed to do last year by winning the prestigious quadrennial tournament - and two towns in Greater Manchester that will be keeping even keener eye on proceedings are Tyldesley and Rochdale.
Although the likes of Alessia Russo and Beth Mead have stolen the headlines with their goals throughout the competition, Keira Walsh's performances at the heart of midfield have really given the team a platform to progress.
The Rochdale-born player has played all but four minutes of England's games so far - only bettered by teammates Leah Williamson and Mary Earps, as well as France's Wendie Renard and Pauline Peyraud-Magnin. READ MORE : 'We all need to get behind them' - People of Manchester back Lionesses Walsh, 25, has also registered two assists and has an incredible passing accuracy of 90.2pc.
In her younger days, she played for local side Pearson Juniors, before getting onto the books of Blackburn Rovers. Her Manchester City-mad family then convinced her to move to the club in 2014 and she has since gone on to make more than 100 league appearances, scoring six goals.
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