Rachel Daly: Has versatile player staked claim to be England's number nine?

Rachel Daly scored doubly connected her archetypal commencement up beforehand for England astatine the Arnold Clark Cup against Italy

Rachel Daly is simply a headache Sarina Wiegman cannot shake.

For those pursuing the Women's Super League it is simply a no-brainer. Daly is the league's second-highest apical scorer this play with 10 goals successful 13 appearances for Aston Villa.

That comes after a determination from the USA successful the summertime wherever she regularly played up front.

But Daly has ever been England's versatility player, performing good successful some full-back positions and starting each crippled astatine Euro 2022 successful defence.

However, with her awesome signifier present connected amusement connected a play ground successful the WSL and her 2 important goals successful England's 2-1 triumph implicit Italy, is it clip to play her successful onslaught regularly connected the planetary stage?

Asked if Daly was taking her chance, Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Yeah, I deliberation she is.

"But I besides deliberation we inactive person precise bully options successful the fig 9 presumption and it's precise bully the contention is truthful high".

Can Daly and Russo play together?

Rachel Daly came connected arsenic a substitute for Alessia Russo successful the 4-0 triumph implicit South Korea connected Thursday

The Lionesses' grounds goalscorer Ellen White was the preferred prime astatine the Euros, but since her status it has been Manchester United's Alessia Russo starring the line.

Russo, the people of two world-record bids from Arsenal successful January, scored successful the 4-0 triumph implicit South Korea connected Thursday, earlier Daly claimed a treble against Italy.

With 2 proven goalscorers successful the squad, is it retired of the question to play them some unneurotic successful attack?

"We've played immoderate scenarios wherever we've enactment successful 2 centre-forwards but, for now, however we play, we wouldn't commencement with two. The mode we're playing present - we're doing truly well," added Wiegman.

"They're some precise bully strikers, we each cognize that Rachel [Daly] is precise versatile truthful she tin play successful antithetic positions successful our team."

Daly's proficiency successful beforehand of extremity has not lone travel from centre-forward positions with England either.

She started against Luxembourg astatine left-back and successful the gully with Norway astatine right-back, scoring against both. She was besides utilized arsenic a left-back successful an awesome triumph implicit the United States astatine Wembley.

And Daly is blessed to play anywhere.

"I'm not bothered, I'm truly not," she said. "I deliberation you guys attraction much astir wherever I play than I do. I'm genuinely blessed to play successful immoderate role.

"Obviously playing successful the [number 9 role] is thing I bash week-in, week-out, truthful it's a small spot much earthy for me. But immoderate relation I'm given, I'll bash it to the champion of my ability."

Former England planetary Karen Carney said Daly was "an implicit dream" for a manager.

"She's truthful versatile," Carney told ITV. "You get prime successful each position, work-rate successful each position, and reliability successful each position."

'Daly tin sniff thing retired of nothing'

But aft scoring 2 headers either broadside of a astonishment and arguable Italian equaliser, Daly has lone further strengthened her case.

"That's wherefore you play her up front," said Carney aft Daly's winner. "If you springiness her the service, she won't fto you down. She is conscionable a nightmare due to the fact that she tin sniff thing retired of nothing."

Ex-England striker Ian Wright added: "Rachel Daly is an aerial menace successful the container and we're going to request that due to the fact that we've mislaid idiosyncratic arsenic large arsenic Ellen White truthful that's a positive."

With 5 months to spell until England kickstart their World Cup run successful Australia, ex-England guardant Eniola Aluko believes Daly is "staking her assertion to beryllium the starting fig nine" up of Russo.

"Alessia Russo is pushing her, but it's truly absorbing what's happening successful this battle," added Aluko connected ITV. "These are 2 players that are scoring goals and tin play that presumption truly well.

"I've been portion of the Rachel Daly 'up-front instrumentality club' - each clip she scores I similar to spot it."