But, it took time and a lot of hard work for this to be the case.

Erin knew the environment she was coming into was fiercely competitive. The then 18-year-old had promised herself to grasp every and any opportunity she got to showcase what she could offer.

What she could offer, the 26-year-old Scot tells us as we sit at Cobham now eight years on and now with two more years to come after she penned a new deal, was quality in midfield.

That’s where her strengths were. She knew it, she just had to show everyone else.

The opportunities did arrive, but often not in the position where Erin longed to be able to feature. But, she was willing to play anywhere on the pitch if it meant representing Chelsea.

‘Back then, there was the worry that I might not even make the matchday squad,’ she recalls. ‘I honestly would love it when I knew I might get minutes.

‘Every time I got that email from Paul Green – an email we still get to this day – to say I was in the squad, it’s just relief and pure excitement. I knew I could look forward to the game then because Emma Hayes didn’t promise me any minutes when I first joined.

‘She didn’t promise me anything and I liked the honesty. For me, it was just about making the squads and then if I made a cameo appearance, to make the most of it. I didn’t care where I was playing – it was just the feeling of playing for this club.

‘I was a young girl who had come down from Scotland to play for Chelsea, so I would literally play centre-back if Emma had told me to.

‘I was utilised everywhere when I joined. I signed as a six or eight and have done a full circle moment to that’s where I am playing now.’

It was a learning experience for the teenager who left Glasgow City in her native Scotland, where she had become familiar with being one of the first names on the team sheet.

Reflecting on what she gained from those times when she had to stray away from her favoured position, Erin says, it gave her a better appreciation for what different roles entail… and, even made her a better midfielder.

‘In hindsight, those experiences did help,’ she says candidly. ‘At the time, I absolutely hated it, to be honest. I knew my potential and what I could do.

‘I used to watch the girls in training in midfield and be jealous of them getting the ball and them being involved in the thick of the action. I had to work to get to that point.

‘But, for sure, now I have a greater appreciation of playing in different positions. Having played on the wings, in the number nine, and full-back, now I’ve got a greater appreciation of the spaces. Sometimes, now I can make passes without looking because I just know that’s where I would have been if I was in that position.

‘It definitely grew my overall football knowledge. In hindsight and more than 250 appearances later, I think I’ve done a good job.’

Over time, Erin developed and gained the trust of her manager. It was a necessary thing, she reiterates, as she describes how the midfield is the engine and core of the team.

The Scotland international has often been praised for her ability to break up attacks and her transition play. Being in the thick of it like she so often is, how does she balance her defensive and attacking duties?

‘It’s a good question because I always ask myself every year: ‘Have I got the balance right?' and ‘have I done enough?’,’ Erin ponders.

‘It depends, for me, on whether you play a single pivot or whether you play a double pivot in midfield. I’ve played in different midfield roles – like the six, the eight and the ten, and also ask myself if I’ve got the balance right for each position.

‘If you’re in midfield and playing the six, you know that you need balance, to be defensively structured and to be the anchor for the team.

‘Whereas if I’m playing in the eight, I need to be box-to-box, to be back helping the defence, and my mindset has to change.

‘If I’m the ten, I need to always play between the lines, to be patient and wait for the ball to come to me and be the focal point under the striker.

‘There has been a lot of adapting because I have been in different positions. I think I fall between a six and an eight. I probably see myself more as a true number eight. I always want to get myself at the edge of the box. I like to get the ball, but also to break up the attacks.’

There have been many games during her time at the Blues which have exemplified what Erin brings to the team. But, instead of us listing the ones that come to mind, we are interested to hear which games stand out to her.

Before she answers that particular question, the midfielder wants to emphasise the most important thing to her is being consistent. That’s what has made her the player she is.

‘What I will say is I’ve been fairly consistent with my performances,’ she begins. ‘I might make a few mistakes in a game, but I would never really drop a zero out of 10.

‘Over the years, the trust from the managers has come from knowing what they get from me. You’re always going to get a seven or eight out of 10. That’s what has kept me at Chelsea for so long and that’s what has kept me in the team.’

‘But, I think I peaked in that FA Cup final game against City!,’ Erin then says with a laugh. ‘I scored the goal and was breaking down play and fighting for everything.

‘I’d also probably say the win in the league against West Ham recently. That’s one of the most recent games I can think of.

‘My mum was in the crowd and had flown down from Scotland, so I had to give her something to be proud of.

‘I know I scored a goal, but there’s so much more to my game. I don’t judge my games on the goals that I’ve scored. It’s nice to score and to celebrate with the fans, but for me, I see how many times I broke up the play, how many tackles I’ve made, did I pass the ball with the right foot so the player could make a good next action… These are all the details that I judge myself on.

‘I’m my biggest critic. I’m a sucker for the fine details. The fans might say I’ve had a good game, but I know I’ve not passed the ball how I should or if my team-mates have received a hospital pass from me.

‘Goals and assists are great, but what keeps you at the top is consistency and an obsession with the details because they are the things that matter over time.’

Erin currently lines up in a Chelsea midfield which may feature Keira Walsh, Sjoeke Nusken, Wieke Kaptein and Oriane Jean-Francois.

And over her years at Chelsea, she has played alongside some of the world’s finest. They have been a source of many teachings and great advice.

‘There have been so many players for different reasons,’ Erin tells us. ‘Ji So-yun being one of them. She could unlock a defence unlike anyone I have ever seen.

‘She could turn up ten minutes before kick-off, slap her boots on and drop a 10 out of 10 performance. She just has the innate ability to turn up and flip a game on its head.

‘I would also say Sophie Ingle. She’s been a big part of my Chelsea career and has been here for so long.

‘She is underrated and goes under the radar, but she is so highly appreciated. Watching her in training and how she communicates, I see a lot of myself in her and how she behaves.

‘When we played together, she just took me under her wing and we worked so well together. We get on like a house on fire and would run through brick walls for each other. As a midfield partner, that’s all I can ever ask for.’

There may have been a familiar feeling which transported Erin back to her 18-year-old self when head coach Sonia Bompastor arrived in the summer. The midfielder knew once again she would have to prove herself.

She has done that and some already, but under Bompastor, there is still even more to come. The evolution continues…

‘I’m definitely trusted more on the ball,’ Erin says. ‘Sonia made that clear.

‘Working with Cami (Abily) and the calibre of player that she was, she won’t settle for bad execution and quality in midfield because she had all of that in abundance. I’ve really loved the one-to-ones I’ve managed to have with her.

‘In the meetings, they drill into me to have more belief, get more on the half-turn and to believe in my ability. It’s clear that they see something in me and that I’ve got more in the tank.

‘I’ve got more to give and my ceiling isn’t set. I don’t know where my ceiling is, but I think it’s nice they see that as well.

‘I’ve always been a player who wants the ball, but due to different styles, the midfield has not necessarily been used in that way, although that was effective for us at times and we won games.

‘I don’t want to only be Erin the combative player who gets stuck in. I want the balance of that and she’s good at counter pressing, but she’s also good at finding the killer pass that leads to a goal, or she’s getting herself on the edge of the box. That’s what I need to keep challenging myself with.’