England goalkeeper Mary Earps said it had been a “tough decision” to leave Manchester United this summer, but she was hoping to add “a few more trophies to the cabinet” after joining Paris St-Germain.
The 31-year-old was talking on the latest episode of the Tooney & Russo Show, which was filmed in Ibiza with her former United team-mates Ella Toone and Alessia Russo and presenter Vick Hope.
Earps joined United in 2019 and helped the club win the FA Cup last year. However, they finished fifth in the Women’s Super League last season – 20 points behind champions Chelsea and three places lower than the previous campaign.
PSG have qualified for the Women’s Champions League for six straight seasons and reached the competition’s semi-finals in 2023-24.
Earps said she had forged “great relationships” in Manchester, but her decision to depart was swayed by “the opportunity to play for a great team in top competitions” and be “in a position to win silverware”.
The keeper, who helped England win Euro 2022 and was awarded the Golden Glove as the Lionesses reached the Women’s World Cup final in 2023, said she was hungry for more success.
“It’s like an itch you can never scratch enough,” Earps, who was born in Nottingham, told the podcast about wanting to win more silverware.
Meanwhile, United and England midfielder Toone said she was “really sad” to see another friend depart the squad, following Russo’s transfer to Arsenal last summer, but also “so happy” for Earps.
“She deserves everything,” said Toone, 24, adding: “Mary’s dream – and it always has been – is to play at the highest level, play in the Champions League and that’s what she’s done.”
Earps admitted she and United academy product Toone had “clashed a lot” at first because they both have “big personalities” but had “bonded a lot over the last year”.
On adjusting to life in Paris, the goalkeeper said: “I think the best way to do it is just to dive in really. Hopefully I’ll pick the language up pretty quick and get on with the girls well.”
Earps, who was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2023, is the latest big player to leave United on a free transfer.
Striker Russo and full-back Ona Batlle ran their contracts down last year – joining Arsenal and Barcelona respectively.
Meanwhile, captain Katie Zelem left the club this summer after not being offered a new deal, while Spain forward Lucia Garcia has joined Mexican side Monterrey.
Earps previously said United were preparing to “undergo a period of transition” that “did not align” with where she was in her career.
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