From being close to being ditched by her club, Katie McCabe has been entrusted with Arsenal’s armband and will soon lead Ireland into the World Cup
It’s well documented that McCabe’s Arsenal career got off to a slow start before a successful loan spell with Glasgow City in 2017 gave it the momentum it needed. The pressure she was under when she came back? That was more stark than perhaps we realised.
Even then, McCabe was trying to restore confidence with just a six-month contract as security. Trust eventually re-earned, she was given breathing room with a two-year deal before playing the most minutes in the 2019 title-winning side.“You’re going over from being a big player in Ireland, [to being] a small fish in a big pond,” says McCabe. “It was difficult, having the opportunity to go out on loan and play. That was more down to being frustrated at the time.
“Luckily, when she went back to Arsenal, they changed coach. But she was also in a different frame of mind then. She was ready to work harder, to be more professional and get the most out of that talent.” “It’s not about whether I’m at Juventus or Arsenal, it’s about people,” says Montemurro. “We’re in the game to improve people and the more we can have these chats the better.
“At the time, she probably wasn’t mature enough, but I hoped that it would work,” says Bell. “I knew that she had the potential to become our best player and then it was a question of whether she could combine that with becoming a really good leader and taking that responsibility. As her manager for four years, Montemurro had a front-row seat for that wising-up process. “I’ve seen her develop so much from a character perspective when she did become captain of her national team and became a leader,” he says. “She really matured and started to be a better listener. She’s a leader, your national team is so fortunate to have her.
“You’ve got to just enjoy it, take it in,” she says. “The national anthem will go and you’ll look at the Tricolour, proud of how far we’ve gotten. We don’t want to stand still, we want to push on and make sure it’s not just a once-off.
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