Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley revealed she was devastated after being forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics. Bardsley was set to feature for Great Britain in Tokyo after her debut at the London Olympic games. Her joy was cut short when she injured her hamstring while on loan at OL Reign. She had suffered a similar hamstring injury during the 2019 World Cup. She recently signed a new contract at Manchester City keeping her till the end of the 2021/22 season.
“I was loving every minute being back on the pitch [with OL Reign]. I felt like I was playing and training really well and felt a real connection with my team.” Karen Bardsley said after missing out on the Tokyo Olympics. “That was really fulfilling and heart-warming. To juxtapose that with a gut-wrenching, cruel sensation… It is not a question of lucky or unlucky, it is more a question of perspective I suppose.”
“Obviously, straight away when I found out and felt like I wasn’t probably going to be able to go I was devastated. I had a really tough time for the first few days afterward,” she added.
Bardsley was one of the first signings made by Manchester City when they turned professional in 2014. She has made 100 appearances for the club and has won seven major honors with the team. They finished runners-up to Manchester City in the Women’s Super League and lost to eventual winners Barcelona in the Champions League.
“We are on the cusp of being really successful,” she added. “We always want to win trophies. We all know that Champions League is something we are really striving to achieve.”
