The 30-year-old made her eagerly awaited comeback to the England squad for their UEFA Women’s Nations League double-header against Belgium during the international break, where she marked her return to the starting line-up in the away fixture with a goal.

Four games into the domestic season, Kirby sat down to discuss being back in the fold for club and country, today’s opponents in the shape of Aston Villa and the start of the UEFA Champions League later this month.

Back-to-back encounters with Belgium during the international break saw Kirby make a welcome return to the Lionesses team. Victory in the home fixture preceded defeat on their travels but on an individual level she was delighted to be involved once again.

‘It was really nice to get back into the swing of things with the national team. It’s been a long time since I was there. I was really happy to be back involved. The result was disappointing but I felt we made some good progress over the camp.

‘We played well but we weren’t able to get that result we really wanted. Overall, I was really happy to be back in there.’

Having reported back to Cobham, Kirby described a good feeling amongst the group. The focus is always on winning football matches and the Blues forward is expecting a difficult test as we attempt to overcome an Aston Villa side who impressed with a fifth-place finish last season.

‘It’s definitely been positive. We are aware we still have things we want to work on and build on but for us the most important thing is getting the wins and getting the points on the board. Everyone is really happy and feeling confident but we know that Aston Villa have some quality players.

‘We have to respect them and we do that with every team that we play. I’m expecting it to be a really tough game but hopefully one we can get three points from.’

Four league games and two Champions League matches lie ahead in November and with the nature of the schedule, Kirby is looking forward to the challenges which lie in wait and emphasised the importance of every member of the squad during this run of fixtures.

‘It’s really exciting to be a part of and that’s what we want to be doing. We want to be playing as many games as possible because that means you’re in all the competitions. We are excited but we know it’s going to be a tough month.

‘Everyone is going to be really important, every player whether you start every game or come on in certain situations. It’s an exciting time because we love to play in the Champions League, but at the same time we know it’s going to be busy and we have to look after ourselves.’