The City and England right-back is yet to feature this campaign, having undergone planned knee surgery following the Summer Olympics.
The 30-year-old made a welcome return to the grass in November and had been in contention for City’s December fixtures before our games against Leicester and Reading were postponed.
Though she has had to wait for her chance, Bronze says she cannot wait to return to action, having already rekindled her competitive edge at training!
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“It’s been good,” she reflected. “I’ve been out training with the girls for a few weeks.
“In terms of my recovery, thankfully it was pretty standard. There were good times and bad times but I was thankful to have Chloe Kelly with me.
“We did a lot together, as we were at similar stages. It’s nice to have someone to bounce off a little bit and we were doing similar things in the gym.
“It’s always good to have someone else with you – someone else who is going through the same thing and someone to talk to about other stuff.
“I think the most important thing I’ve learned this year is: patience. I knew I had a lot of patience already but being so driven, I hate missing out on things.
“Being injured, I’ve had to take a step back. I made the decision to have surgery and even when I’ve missed out on amazing games with England and big games for City, I’ve had to take that and stay calm.
“It’s about having that patience: ’Take a step back, it’s going to be fine. You’ll be back on the pitch eventually.’
“As soon as I came back to training, people have said it’s become even more competitive.
“Like, the little games that go on in training… everyone says the younger team always wins and that I’d better not be changing that!
“But I’m very competitive – it’s always been my best attribute.”
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Reflecting on the season so far, Bronze admits it has been tough to watch on from the sidelines, unable to physically influence the game, especially during a difficult start to the campaign.
However, FIFA’s TheBest Women’s Player for 2020 predicts vast improvement in the new year with the return of several key names from injury and she asserts Gareth Taylor’s side have their sights very much set on silverware.
“Considering everything, we’re doing okay,” she said. “Injuries are part and parcel of the game but it just so happens to have been a big group of key players and not small injuries either, which is unusual.
“It’s taken its toll on our league season but we can still fight for plenty of silverware this season – there are two cup competitions to play for – and we obviously want to qualify for the Champions League.
“Most years, that’s been nailed down but this year, it’s more difficult, although we still have the chance to do that – it’s in our hands.
“Once we get ourselves turned back over and get a few players back form injury to thicken up the squad, I think we’re capable of challenging.”
