The England star on leaving Manchester United, embracing a new challenge and the competitive edge of the NWSL

If you were walking your dog in your local park near Manchester this summer and thought you saw two England internationals doing one-on-one training drills, don’t worry – you weren’t seeing things. That was indeed the former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem and her Lionesses teammate Laura Coombs, trying to keep themselves in shape. Coombs, who was putting in extra yards while returning from injury before pre-season with her club, Manchester City, had agreed to help Zelem, who was weighing up numerous options after her Manchester United contract had concluded at the end of June. Zelem “Googled some one-on-one sessions” and brought the cones along, and she knows the extra effort was worth it.

“I was running up and down every field I could find, keeping as fit as possible,” the 28-year-old tells the Guardian, reflecting on her time between clubs. “I felt so motivated because I had quite a few offers. I thought, ‘Wherever I end up, this is going to benefit me.’ But running is very different to team training, with the sharpness and connecting passes. It was a unique situation because I basically had no pre-season.