Chelsea defender Millie Bright admits latest knee injury has been the ‘hardest one’ as she eyes first England appearance in seven months against France

Millie Bright admitted her most recent injury has been the toughest of her career as the defender looks to make her first appearance for England in seven months.

Bright, who captained the Lionesses at the World Cup last year, missed the second half of the domestic season with Chelsea due to a recurrence of a previous knee injury.

The defender went through an intensive rehab in order to make last summer’s tournament and said a repeat of that process had taken its toll.

‘This one in particular has probably been the hardest one out of all of them,’ said Bright.

‘There’s so many factors, even when you’re injured you still have responsibilities.

The 30-year-old fit again and in contention to start England’s back-to-back games vs France 

‘It’s just been really annoying. I’m not a very patient person when it comes to being told I need to rest versus play. This time around has been a little bit different to the first time so it’s hard to compare. It was a little bit more complicated with a few setbacks along the way which prolonged it.

‘Being injured is the hardest thing, you can’t contribute things in ways that you would like to. It’s probably been the most tasking period for myself for more reasons than one.’

Bright is in contention to start England’s back-to-back games with France but, with Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter all in fine form, the defender admitted she faces stern competition.

‘No one’s place is set and is a given. Everyone has to work hard for their position and for their place in the starting line-up. It’s no different to mentality from before. I never taken anything for granted.’