Ellie Roebuck is back in the Women’s Super League with Aston Villa – and though domestic competitions are her priority, that’s not to say she isn’t also thinking about the possibility of an international recall with England.
The 25-year-old has made 11 appearances for the Lionesses, most recently in 2023, and was in the squad that won the Women’s Euros in 2022.
But after a dramatic two years, Roebuck is well aware that her first focus has to be on her own health, fitness and performances.
“It was a strange feeling for me not being there,” she told Sky Sports, reflecting on England’s 2025 Women’s Euros win. “I didn’t expect to be there, but it’s always hard to watch because I desperately want to be a part of it.
“In terms of getting back in the squad, of course that’s an aim. But I know I have to be patient and focus on the here and now.
“Right now, the target is to get back playing consistently. I know I’m only going to get back into touching distance with the squad by performing consistently which will help everybody.”
Ellie Roebuck: It’s been a really difficult time
Shockingly, Roebuck suffered a stroke in 2023, while she was still at Manchester City. She spent some months recuperating before moving to Spain with Barcelona, where she made only a handful of appearances.
“It’s been a really difficult time, to say the least,” she said. “Maybe looking back a year ago, football wasn’t necessarily a priority and rightly so. There were many other things that were a lot more important.
“Now I’m in a place where I’m comfortable with all of that. It took some adjusting, I’ve had to learn how to be a new version of myself, learn different ways to prioritise my health and adapt to what I’ve been dealt because that’s the reality of it. I’m trying to move on and make the best out of a pretty bad situation, but that’s life, things happen.
“Now I’m looking to put that behind me and take the lessons that I’ve learned from that experience, hopefully build on them and focus on playing football.”
And of her return to England with Aston Villa, she said: “Towards the back end of last season, I wanted to come home, not because anything was wrong, but I wanted to come back to the WSL to challenge myself, to hopefully get back playing and push myself in that aspect.”
