If there was one player who summed up the spirit of the new-look Lionesses, it would be the “fearless” Grace Clinton. At 22, the Manchester United midfielder arrives at her first major tournament determined to continue the trajectory that has seen her take every challenge in her stride to emerge as a key figure in Sarina Wiegman’s plans.
England team-mate and midfield partner Keira Walsh spoke about that quality when they were sat together at the team’s pre-Euros media day at St George’s Park. “You are fearless,” Walsh said, as Clinton smiled to her right. “I don’t know whether you notice that when you’re playing, but I think no matter who you’re playing against you don’t shy away from it, and I think for someone with such a young age that’s a great quality to have.”
Clinton made her England debut in February 2024 as the Lionesses swept Austria aside 7-2. Clinton scored, and it wasn’t just her impressive start that made Wiegman take notice. The Liverpool-born midfielder was also enjoying a breakthrough season while on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, playing with an authority that looked beyond her years in a team that reached the FA Cup final that season. The problem was, Clinton couldn’t play against her parent club and Tottenham looked lost without her, beaten before losing 4-0 to United at Wembley.
It was the second of two loan spells that helped Clinton find her feet within the Women’s Super League. It meant her long awaited debut for United came in 2024, two years on from her arrival from Everton. Clinton, who grew up near Liverpool’s Melwood training ground, spent much of her childhood playing youth football against boys before signing for Everton when she was 12.
After becoming a regular at United, Clinton similarly enjoyed a run of games for England. An injury for Georgia Stanway opened the door for Clinton to start alongside Walsh in midfield, dropping deeper from the No 10 position that she had previously occupied to become more of a box-to-box No 8.
The learning curve was steep: in the opening game of England’s Nations League campaign in Portugal, Clinton switched off for a moment and lost the run of Kika Nazareth, who curled a stunning long-range strike into the top corner to secure a 1-1 draw for the hosts.
But, a few days later, Clinton started again and held her own against Aitana Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey as England defeated world champions Spain 1-0 at Wembley. With a few more starts under her belt, Clinton has an assured look playing in England’s midfield – even if Stanway is now back from injury and may start ahead of her.
Clinton holds herself to high standards. She is a confident player but has admitted that her pursuit of perfection can “get in my head” – something that was picked up on by Beth Mead during a training session before the Euros.
Clinton had passed up the opportunity to shoot despite being in a good position. “Me and Alex [Greenwood] were like, ‘You have a good shot, just take the next one’,” Mead explains. “It’s really in her head and we’re like: ‘It’s OK. Just try not to overthink it’.”
Wiegman is relying on players like Clinton to inject that sense of bravery and adventure into England’s tournament defence. She is also adaptable, capable of playing across the midfield and even from the left wing. A player who thrives on finding pockets of space and playing on the half-turn, Clinton has the dynamism to turn and surge away as well.
That has come through work, though, with her coach at Manchester United, Marc Skinner, highlighting the effort Clinton has made off the ball since establishing herself at Old Trafford. “I always knew she had the quality but I wanted to see that energy and that commitment,” Skinner said towards the end last season. “The way she has worked shows a massive improvement, which will be huge for England.”
Now at the Euros, Clinton has all the pieces as well as Wiegman’s trust: now it’s about believing she can put them together on the biggest stage.
