Laura Bassett: England defender joins Canberra United

Published on: 20 September 2017

Bassett has 63 caps for the national team

England defender Laura Bassett has joined Australian W-League club Canberra United.

Bassett, 34, was a free agent after her previous side Notts County Ladies folded in April.

She becomes the third Lioness to move abroad this summer after striker Toni Duggan joined Barcelona and right-back Lucy Bronze signed for Lyon.

"After what happened at Notts I'm looking forward to putting it behind me and a fresh start," Bassett said.

"It's out of my comfort zone and something I've never done before and it will be a real challenge for me to go overseas."

England thump Russia in World Cup qualifying

Notts Country were liquidated on the eve of the Women's Super League One Spring Series, meaning Bassett did not play any club football before the European Championship in July - where England were knocked out in the semi-finals.

"I had quite a few options considering my age, it's nice to know I am still respected and they value the experience I can give to a team," Bassett told BBC Sport.

The defender is part of the England squad playing in the World Cup qualifiers, which they began with a 6-0 victory over Russia on Tuesday.

The 2017-18 winter Women's Super League season - the first since a transition from the previous summer calendar - begins on 22 September.

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Highlights: England thrash Russia 6-0 in World Cup qualifying opener

You can now add WSL 1 alerts for goals and results in the BBC Sport app.

Source: bbc.com

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