Steph Houghton says she is going to take up Manchester Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola’s provide of watching him coach, explaining: “there is no manner I can say no”.
Guardiola made the provide after Houghton retired from soccer in 2024. The ex-Metropolis captain ended her soccer profession after 22 years competing in senior soccer.
The star has gone into WSL punditry and different media work however has not dominated out turning into a coach sooner or later.
‘Possibly when it will get a bit sunnier!’
Steph Houghton performed for Metropolis for 10 years
Houghton informed FourFourTwo that Guardiola had made a really form provide to look at him and his employees work with Manchester Metropolis’s males’s first staff: “I positively have to try this – one of the best supervisor on this planet inviting you to look at him coach, and be taught from him?
“Possibly when it will get a bit sunnier! However I’ve bought to take him up on that provide. There’s no manner I can say no to that.”
Steph Houghton bowed out as a legend (Picture credit score: Morgan Harlow – The FA/The FA by way of Getty Pictures)
She added on her choice to retire: “To retire is at all times a tough choice. I used to be umming and ahhing the season earlier than, however I made a decision to increase my contract as a result of I used to be enjoying and nonetheless having fun with it. The subsequent season, I began to not take pleasure in it as a lot.
“I simply felt as if there was nothing else I may do, and I needed to finish issues on my phrases. As soon as I lastly made the choice and an announcement went out, I cried for 2 hours. However, when it comes to what was finest for me and my household, it was the proper time.
“I’ve been holding actually busy with punditry for the BBC and Sky, I’ve launched a brand new podcast with Ian Wright and I do ambassador stuff for Man Metropolis, so I’m very fortunate that I’ve had plenty of choices.”
Houghton hung up her boots after successful 18 trophies all through her profession. She solely lifted one with England, the SheBelieves Cup in 2019.
She represented England 121 instances and went to 5 main tournaments.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Houghton is one in every of England’s best-ever gamers, cruelly lacking out on choice for the 2022 European Championships as a consequence of lack of recreation time after an extended harm absence.
The Lionesses received the match after beating Germany 2-1 within the remaining at Wembley. Houghton had labored exhausting to return from harm to be out there for choice however supervisor Sarina Wiegman didn’t decide her for the match squad.
