After five and a half years with Manchester United, moving clubs was never going to be pain-free for Hayley Ladd but, in her words, sometimes you just “have to rip off the bandage” and go for it.
After playing fewer than 10 minutes of Women’s Super League football for United this season, and knowing she needed a transfer to get on the pitch more regularly before July’s European Championship, the 31-year-old is now all smiles after her debut for Everton. Her fresh start on Merseyside coincides with a new era for the club after The Friedkin Group’s takeover and she says it was an easy decision to choose Brian Sørensen’s side.
“The owners came in the other day and presented [to Everton’s women’s team],” Ladd says. “That was really impressive. It’s nice to hear that commitment from the owners and also build a relationship with them personally.
“First and foremost I felt like the style of play at Everton really suited me. I liked the flexible nature of it and the fact they are a team that wants to try to have the ball as much as possible. You can tell that as a player in the league when you face Everton, that they are really technical and really tidy. Speaking to Brian [Sørensen], that came across. They probably see me more as a midfielder so that was another box ticked really.”
Ladd, who has previously been deployed at centre-back as well as in midfield, moved for an undisclosed fee and is one of five players to have arrived at Everton in this window. She played 110 times for Manchester United and helped them win the Women’s FA Cup last season but says: “At United it became obvious that my chances were becoming limited in terms of getting any decent playing time. That’s fine, it’s the way it was, and it spurred me on to look at other options. Once I heard Everton were interested it was a really easy decision.
“I got to speak to Brian and hear about his plans. I think he spoke really well about what he wanted for the team and how my profile fitted it. It was like music to my ears at that point. In the background, Wales getting to the Euros spurred up that necessity to get more minutes and get more fitness in the tank really.
“It’s always difficult leaving a club after so long. The United journey was maybe aligned with mine and you feel emotionally tangled with it. I was really proud to represent the club over those years. I advocated for things in the best way I could and I was the best teammate I could be. So it was difficult.
“Everton has been a breath of fresh air and it’s been amazing. I feel like I’ve learned loads in the first few weeks of training. Straight away I knew the environment was just what I needed.”
Ladd admits her time out of the United first XI this season was “tough” but says she has unending appreciation for the support she received from their supporters: “They were my first sort of experience of real women’s football fans. [After signing from Birmingham City in 2017] I just thought: ‘This is amazing,’ the energy and commitment every day. They were around the training ground, they are here for women’s players and the support for them is just relentless. It’s amazing to have that support. I’ve never known anything like it.
“It doesn’t waiver. It’s so resilient. It’s been such an amazing experience playing with that fanbase. I’d like to think there was a good connection. I certainly felt it my way. That’s a really meaningful thing as a player.”
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In December Ladd was part of the Wales side that made history by qualifying for a first major women’s international tournament with their playoff victory over the Republic of Ireland. They were drawn in Group D for this summer’s Euros in Switzerland along with England, France and the Netherlands.
“It’s a dream come true,” Ladd says. “For a long time, that was our sole ambition in the Wales squad: we just had to get this team to a major tournament and get through that first qualification. There were a few near misses and a few heartbreaks along the way but I’m so, so proud to be able to say in my career that we have managed to do it. I’m just so proud that, when I retire, I feel I’ve left that shirt in a better place.”
Source: theguardian.com
