Things happen quickly for Nelly read. After a senior debut for Leicester in October, she went to the World Cup with the U17 side of England in November. Her debut for Women Super League came in December and her first senior goal followed in January.
February? A late comfort in the cup in Manchester City that reads as her favorite moment so far. “That was just an incredible feeling when it went inside,” she tells Sky Sports. “It is another milestone that I will never forget. I am going in the right direction.”
That is an understatement. The 17-year-old is a full-back for her country, but has made an impression in an advanced role for her club, so that the game is brought to the game and reads as “chaos” with her pure enthusiasm from the bank.
“It feels like it all just came suddenly,” she admits. “It's a bit crazy, but I love it. It is really good for my development around the first team and plays against large teams such as Man City and Chelsea. Hopefully I can score in the WSL afterwards.”
It is not only that LAS was able to fit at such a young age. Leicester -Manager Amandine Miquel credits her to bring the kind of appetite to her work from which even more experienced players could learn, so that the entire group can give a lift a lift.
The victory over Aston Villa at the weekend facilitated the relegation fears and again justified Miquel's willingness to embrace young people. “She trusted me and believed in me, which is great. To put me on the field against big teams, I am so grateful for that,” says Las.
That WSL debut came in a draw against Chelsea – and, more specifically, Lucy Bronze. “She is the player I want to be. When I was younger, I would look at her. I looked up at her. I still do it now. And then to share a throw with her. I couldn't really do it to believe. “
She adds: “In the past six months I have seen myself getting better and better. When I started training with the first team, the difference was crazy. And when I made my debut, I was like, wow, this, this Is so much faster and stronger, much more physical “
But the adjustments are made. “In the beginning I found it harder. I would play 10 minutes and be like that, wow, that was difficult. Now I am used to playing longer and longer at that pace and at that technical level. I can certainly improve.”
Her background helped. Las played next to her twin brother for Beaumont Park. “I was the full-back and he was the winger. We were always the fastest. We scored the most goals. I and he just worked well together. We had that chemistry.”
There was a short period with the girls of Leicester as a pre-teenager. “They offered me another season.” But the family made the calculated decision to play with the boys again instead until he returned to the club at the age of 13. It has turned out to be a smart move.
“I definitely think it helped not to be afraid of using a tackle or being afraid of people who are older than you or greater than you because I have always been pretty small compared to the others. I was not afraid when we played against boys, I was used to it.
LAS switches on extra training once a week at Loughborough University with the renowned individual coach Scott Chickelday, who worked on his finish with England -striker Ollie Watkins. It is an indication of her desire to do everything she can to improve her game.
“I definitely think that doing the extras helps me because it also makes me more confident to take those photos at that specific moment or perhaps to do something else. I have now scored two goals for the first team, so hopefully it works” .
“I want to do everything I can do to get that one step better than who is my opponents or someone who wants to play my position. If someone is better than me, then I just keep working hard and driving until I defeat them or I am Better than them “
How far can that bring her? About the proof of the recent U17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic, one of the striking in her age bars is read. In the last group match against Mexico, she scored one and set up two others to reach the quarterfinals.
“My mother was there and she was so proud,” Las recalls. “She just screamed. She was so happy. I think it is the best experience I have ever had. I would go back now if I could. It was great. We were fourth but it was incredible.”
Expect that LAS, now called for the U19 team of England, will continue to make progress. She works on her left foot, improves with Chickeltay and gets various experiences under Miquel. “It's good to be versatile and to get that knowledge of different positions.”
Her strengths? “I think I am hard-working and technically good in one-on-one situations, defending and attacking, and I love a challenge. Normally I come from the bank, so my first goal is to bring something, bring energy and Trying to cause chaos, actually. “
It has been a few months, but more is planned. “I want to score my first WSL goal, get more start for Leicester and hopefully show myself on the international stage.” The smile on Nelly's face tells you that she doesn't want the chaos to stop.
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