Liverpool Women captain Sophie Bradley-Auckland halts career to work in care home

Liverpool Women captain Sophie Bradley-Auckland is putting her football career on hold to reduce the coronavirus risk posed to the care home she manages.

As well as playing for Liverpool, the 30-year-old defender is the manager of Edenhurst care home in Nottingham.

Bradley-Auckland told liverpoolfc.com: "I was only able to come and play for Liverpool because I was able to continue with my role within the care home.

"Unfortunately with the current situation it's made me have to make a decision, one that's been awful and I've actually lost sleep about it.

"The fact is that I can't return to Liverpool until a risk isn't posed on the care home.

"My happiness - and that's what I call playing football, which is my happiness, is something that I love to do - isn't worth somebody's life and that is what it is as well. It is actually risking somebody's life.

"I have a duty of care. I've got 24 residents, actually 24 other members of my family I would call them, and I would never want to pose any further risk on them than what's already there."

Bradley-Auckland said that so far all Covid-19 testing on staff and residents at the family-run business had produced negative results.

She added: "I'm still a Red. I will be back at Liverpool but unfortunately at this moment in time it's not possible for me to come, so I think it's very much up in the air.

"All I'm holding onto is that I'll be back. My training continues before I go to work and I'll always be fit and ready to come back whenever that risk is not there on the care home."

Bradley-Auckland, who has played 28 times for England, joined Liverpool in 2018.

The club were relegated from the Women's Super League after the 2019-20 season was brought to a premature end in May.