Steph Houghton: Manchester City star hints she could miss World Cup if she needs to care for husband, who has motor neurone disease

Steph Houghton: Manchester City star hints she could miss World Cup if she needs to care for husband, who has motor neurone disease
Steph Houghton has suggested she would sacrifice her England World Cup spot to care for her husband, who has motor neurone disease.Houghton is captain of the England Lionesses and is currently preparing for this summers tournament in France.GETTY2

Steph Houghton is captain of England

The 30-year-old is part Phil Nevilles squad, who are one of the favourites to win the World Cup.The Manchester City star has spoken for the first time about how her and her husbands lives have changed since his diagnosis.Stephen Darby, who played for Liverpool, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers, had to retire in September at the age of 29.2

Stephen Darby was forced to retire in September

Speaking to the Daily Mail about her World Cup hopes, Houghton said: “I’m here because I feel I’m right to be here and it’s driven by Stephen.“He wants me to go. He says, ‘Get out of the house’.“Because it happened so quickly, (my future with England) would all depend on how Stephen is. He’s my priority. If anything were to change in the near future, my job is to be the best wife that I can be and to look after him. But at the moment, everything is great. He’s as good as ever.”

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The World Cup runs from June 5 to July 6, across their anniversary – and she admits her priorities have changed in the last six months.She said: “It’s obviously been a really, really tough year on a personal level, but I can be honest and say I’m sitting here in England colours and I am really focused on England. Of course Stephen’s my no.1 priority and he always will be. “My focus is the World Cup now and fingers crossed it never ever gets to the moment where I have to step away.”Houghton was preparing for Englands friendly with Spain on Tuesday but has withdrawn from the squad with a groin injury.

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