ENGLAND captain Leah Williamson revealed today she finally felt free to let go of “anxiety” on the eve of the Lionesses’ Women’s European Championship opener against France in Zurich.

The Arsenal defender was forced to skip England’s first run to a World Cup final two summers ago in Australia after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that April, and she is now relishing the opportunity to lead the Lionesses in another major tournament after captaining the 2022 European champions to their first major silverware.

England boss Sarina Wiegman, meanwhile, hinted Chelsea forward Lauren James could be more involved against France after marking her comeback from a long hamstring-related absence with an assist in her 30-minute second-half substitution minutes into their Jamaica send-off friendly.

“I’ve probably held some anxiety, I suppose, up until this moment,” said Williamson, when asked if missing the World Cup and her recovery had given her a new appreciation for this opportunity.

“Just because I wanted to be here and I wanted to be with the team, I wanted to be here with the team, I wanted to experience another tournament for England, and being away from home is special.

“When you come to another country to represent your country and just take everything in. It’s a bit different to England in 2022, so I’m just taking everything in. I’m very excited. Obviously so much has changed, so I’m intrigued to come back and enjoy that tournament football.”

Wiegman and her team have embraced the mantra of this being a “new England,” with seven fresh faces in this 23-player squad featuring in their first major tournament and many of her returnees from the 2022 triumph playing much bigger roles.

“It’s a new territory, and we’re not necessarily looking at it as a defence, but a new challenge and an opportunity to do something new,” added Williamson.

Williamson does not take the travelling English fan support, who have come out in big numbers, for granted.

She added: “I think when they look at us they see a team that would give everything for them, and I think they keep coming back for that reason. I hope that continues.”

Wiegman said that while the team will “never forget” the “lifetime experience” of lifting the trophy at Wembley: “You have to move on, and you have to be on top of it. Things are changing very quickly, so we have to do it too.

“We came together in February, and we came to this, saying it’s a new challenge. The approach was there anyway, but we called it a new England.”

Wiegman confirmed James, who scored three goals and added as many assists at the World Cup, was in a “good place.”

The 23-year-old was out of action for three months before making her long-awaited return in the 63rd minute against Jamaica last Sunday.

Asked if James was fit to start, Wiegman replied: “We’re not going to give you the line-up, but she played 30 minutes last week, so she can play more than that. I think that will say enough.”