Esme Morgan says it’s the off-pitch excursions that have helped bring the England team together ahead of the World Cup.

The defender is one of six City players in Sarina Wiegman’s squad that has travelled to Australia as they look to change their titles from European champions to world champions.

The Lionesses have got their campaign off to a strong start following their 1-0 win over Haiti in their opening game.

And Morgan attributes the team’s success and unity to the time they spend together away from the training pitch.

“It’s been so good, everyone gets on so well and it’s been amazing to have those special off pitch moments too,” said Morgan as she spoke to Lionesses Down Under daily show hosts Kyle Walker and City legend Jill Scott.

“We went whale watching, it just really brough everyone together on that boat because we had that amazing, shared experience.

“It’s those little things off the pitch, like watching the sunset on the beach, that bring you so close as a unit.

“It makes it so fun to be a part of camp and then when you take that back into training and everything just connects a bit easier.”

Morgan also reflected on what the camp has been like for her on a personal level.

While she is yet to get World Cup minutes, Morgan is confident that she is ready for when the time comes.

She said: “Everyone’s so welcoming and over the camps in the lead up that I’ve been a part of people have been so good at integrating you into the group.

“I’m really lucky to have played with so many of the girls before, be it City or in the England youth teams so it’s been easy to settle in.

“It’s nice to hear people’s anecdotes of tournaments gone by or bits of experience where they think they can manage certain situations better, so to be able to pass that knowledge on to me to manage myself is really special.”