Mary Earps Returns to English Football with London City Lionesses
Mary Earps has never been one to tiptoe into a new chapter. She tends to kick the door down.
On Friday night, in the Women’s Super League curtain-raiser, the new London City Lionesses goalkeeper could mark her return to English football against the club that shaped the peak years of her career. Manchester United. Old loyalties, new colours. It feels scripted.
“It was meant to be,” she admitted to BBC Sport, and it is hard to argue.
Five seasons at United turned her from a solid WSL keeper into England’s number one and a two-time Fifa goalkeeper of the year. She lifted an FA Cup, made more than 100 appearances and helped deliver United’s first major trophy in 2024. She left a mural on the wall outside Old Trafford and a permanent mark on the club’s history.
United has moved on since she walked away in search of Champions League football and silverware. So has she. But the bond clearly hasn’t snapped.
“I got a nice reception at Old Trafford in the Women’s Champions League last season and it meant a great deal to me,” she said. “I spent five wonderful years there and I made amazing memories. I won an FA Cup and met a lot of incredible people. I know the fans don’t change – they are still as hardcore as ever.”
Those years at United ran parallel with her rise on the international stage. Earps was central to England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the 2023 World Cup final. The medals brought profile, and the profile brought recognition: BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2023, and a place among the most influential athletes in the country.
The glare, though, cut both ways. Last November, her book sparked controversy and dominated headlines for weeks. The debate raged, but when she returned to Old Trafford with Paris St-Germain last season, the applause rolled down from the stands. The mural stayed up. The connection held.
From Parisian pause to WSL roar
Her two-year spell at PSG offered something different: 22 league appearances, Champions League nights, and a life lived at a slightly different volume.
“I’m grateful for all the amazing love and support that I’ve had over the years, but it was nice to be away,” she said. “PSG is a great club. Getting to experience the Parc des Princes, the French food, the Parisian way of life and the language – I think it was good for me.
“I’m an intense person, especially when I’m on the pitch, so it was good for me to be able to take a period of reflection away from the craziness in England.”
She needed the break. She also used it. A new league, a new culture, a new dressing room. A push out of her comfort zone, as she put it. But when her contract expired, the pull of home grew stronger.
“Of course, there’s always things that you miss. I’m very, very happy to be home,” she said. “I missed the English football culture – the way you feel when you walk into a stadium, the electricity of the crowd, the feeling around women’s football in this country.
“I knew I was probably going to miss that going away which is why I’m so excited to be back. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
A new project, a familiar fight
Earps has not chosen the easy route back. London City have made noise this summer, landing some of the biggest names in the game. Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas. Spain defender Mapi Leon. And now England’s former number one.
This is not a gentle wind-down. It is a statement of intent.
Earps has started the last two pre-season matches, but the number one shirt is not guaranteed. Elene Lete impressed last season and has no intention of stepping aside.
“The reality of it is that I’ve been here a few weeks and I’m trying to earn my place in the team every single day,” Earps said. “Elene did a great job last year and it won’t be easy between us to see who starts. I think that is another great thing about being part of a fantastic squad.
“I just want to contribute to the team’s success and hopefully that is playing a lot of games and being a part of their history in some small way.”
This, in many ways, is the core of Earps’ appeal: even with the medals, the awards, the mural, she still talks like someone who has to win people over every week.
Retired from England, not from ambition
Her international story is complete. Earps announced her England retirement in 2025, drawing a line under a golden era in which she became the face of a new, fearless Lionesses generation. But club football remains very much alive.
She has signed a two-year deal with London City and speaks like a player who believes there is still another level to reach, even at 33.
“I want to continue to play at the highest level, to win at the highest level for as long as possible and to be a part of something special,” she said. “I really do believe that London City will go on to do great things for a long time. They want to be the best in class and world-leading.
“That is something that I’m always pushing to be – to be the best version of myself as a player and a person every day.
“It’s a great place to be for me to max out on whatever potential I have left. The moment that I don’t think I can learn any more, I won’t continue to play. I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give and hopefully there’s some fantastic days around the corner. I’m really looking forward to this chapter.”
On Friday, the chapter might open with a familiar sight: Mary Earps, under the lights, facing Manchester United. Only this time, she will be the one trying to silence the crowd that once sang her name.
