Mary Earps Returns to Women's Super League with London City Lionesses
Mary Earps has never been one for quiet entrances.
On Friday night, under the lights and the cameras and all the old emotions, she could walk back into the Women's Super League against the club that helped turn her into a global star.
Manchester United. Old memories. New colours.
The 33-year-old is now the goalkeeper of London City Lionesses and, as debuts go, this one feels scripted.
"It was meant to be," she admitted to BBC Sport, with the sort of wry smile you can almost hear.
From United icon to returning rival
Earps spent five seasons at United, the heartbeat of their rise and the face of their ambition. In that time she became England’s number one, twice won Fifa's goalkeeper of the year, and helped United lift their first major trophy – the FA Cup in 2024.
More than 100 appearances. One piece of silverware. A mural on the wall outside Old Trafford that still stands.
"United has changed a lot since I left, but I spent five wonderful years there and I made amazing memories," she said. "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."
Her performances for club and country turned her into one of the most recognisable athletes in the country. She was pivotal in England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the 2023 World Cup final. Awards followed – including BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2023 – and so did scrutiny.
Last November, the release of her book ignited weeks of debate and headlines. Yet when she returned to Old Trafford with Paris St-Germain in the Women’s Champions League last season, the reception was telling: warm applause, genuine appreciation, and that mural still watching over the stadium.
It mattered to her.
"I got a nice reception at Old Trafford and it meant a great deal to me at that time," she said.
Now she’s back again, this time trying to keep United out rather than drag them over the line.
Parisian pause, English pull
Her two-year spell at PSG delivered exactly what she went searching for: Champions League nights, a new league, a different rhythm. She made 22 appearances in the Première Ligue last season and, crucially, stepped away from the constant noise around her in England.
"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.
"But that being said, I'm incredibly grateful for this platform that I've been given so it's not a complaint. I went away to push myself out of my comfort zone."
The experiment worked. She reset, recharged, won, learned. Then her contract expired, and something familiar tugged at her again.
Home.
"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, and no guarantees
If London City wanted to send a message about where they are heading, they did it loudly this summer. Earps arrives as part of a star-laden recruitment drive that also includes two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas and Spain defender Mapi Leon.
This is not a club content to simply make up the numbers.
But Earps hasn’t walked into a guaranteed starting spot. She has already started both of London City’s last two pre-season games, yet she knows there is a genuine fight for the number-one shirt with Elene Lete, who impressed last season.
"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."
That line reveals plenty. This is not a farewell lap. It’s a competitor talking.
No England, but no slowing down
Earps has already drawn a line under her international career, announcing her England retirement in 2025. That decision, though, has not dulled her ambition at club level.
She has signed a two-year deal with London City and talks about growth, improvement and standards with the same intensity that marked her rise.
"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."
The chapter starts, fittingly, with United in the opposite dressing room and a mural of her face still painted on the wall outside.
How long before London City becomes the place where she writes her next defining image?
