Aston Villa Women: Hannah Hampton can still kick into top gear despite stop-start WSL season
In Hannah Hampton, Aston Villa possess one of the best goalkeepers in the WSL, but following an injury layoff and controversy with the Lionesses, her role in Claret and Blue has been limited this season.
After following Carla Ward from Birmingham City last summer, the shot-stopper quickly established herself as the club’s go-to choice between the sticks – but has barely featured so far this season following an unspecified injury, which left her sidelined for over two months.
Despite being just 22 years old, Hampton has already accumulated a wealth of footballing experience, having been established as a first-team keeper in the WSL for over four years now.
The youngster is a superb shot-stopper and equally good with the ball at her feet. This quality distribution has become her trademark and helped her make her senior England debut against Spain in February – in which she produced a player-of-the-match performance.
After partaking in the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 winning campaign as an understudy to Mary Earps, Hampton was reportedly dropped from the next squad due to attitude problems and has seemingly failed to rekindle this relationship with Sarina Wiegman. [The Guardian]
The goalkeeper shut down such rumours, releasing a statement confirming that she was suffering a medical issue and would undergo a procedure to help her road to recovery.
But, after spending some time on the Villa Park medical table and regrouping herself over the mid-season winter break, Hampton can get back to doing what she does best for Ward’s side.
Sitting seventh in the WSL table and just three points off fourth-placed West Ham, Villa have a brilliant opportunity to claim the best-of-the-rest spot this season.
But a distracted Hampton between the sticks won’t do anybody any good, so her return to full fitness could prove a season-defining moment. The 22-year-old has been a proven match-winner on her day and can produce make the impossible look like a mere formality when at her best.
Her quality is undoubted, and she could be a pivotal figure in Claret and Blue for many years to come, but Hampton needs to release the handbrake and find her top gear again.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery can exploit glaring Liverpool defensive weakness on Boxing Day.