The experiences that shaped Evie Rabjohn

At just 20 years of age, England women’s under-23s international Evie Rabjohn has experienced more than most.

Her footballing career might still be in its infancy but it’s career that, in her own words, has shaped her mindset as both a player and a person.

Almost two years ago, the defender suffered a devastating injury while on international duty with the Young Lionesses.

She ruptured her ACL during the 2024 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, forced to fly home from Lithuania to begin a gruelling rehabilitation period – a process which she described as incredibly challenging.

“I’m not going to beat around the bush and say that it wasn’t because it was the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do,” she explained. “I still can’t believe that I’ve gone through it – I’m in awe of anybody that has.

“You still have to go to training every day. You see these girls go out on the pitch and do what you want to be doing and you can’t. It’s a battle of the mind.

“You have to get through different steps. The first two months probably were quite quick. You get little things that are really good – you get extension, you’re able to walk – and that’s really nice because it’s shows that you’re improving.

“You get between there and five months and not much has changed. You’re in the gym and you’re lifting loads of weights. You’re not sure if you’re going in the right direction or not. It’s just stuck.

“Getting out on the pitch, for me, I would actually say was probably one of the worst parts of it. It felt like I was so close, but so far. Being on the pitch next to the girls that are training, seeing what they’re doing, what I can’t do. I just felt so restricted.”

But the comeback was on for the youngster, who never gave up.

She completed her first 90 minutes for loan team Sunderland – who she joined on a temporary deal from then-parent club Manchester United – upon her return in September last year, 434 days after suffering her ACL injury.

“I never thought it would be me and then it was,” she continued. “You can’t do anything about it – you’ve just got to get through it. I think at times, that’s all it is. You just have to do what you can to get through the day and on to the next. It took nine months but I’ve done it.

“It’s something that’s going to follow me throughout my whole career. Everything I do from now until the end of my career, I’m going to have to be aware of it.”

For the Rabjohn clan, football runs in the family. The defender’s older sister Olivia captains FA Women’s National League North side West Bromwich Albion – the club Evie also spent time on the books of.

Although Evie took up the sport first, Olivia – who has also spent time in the England pathway – started training with West Brom, although her sibling was too young at the time to get involved with the club.

But when the time came, Evie joined the Baggies before moving on to Birmingham City – who she represented between the ages of 11 and 15 – and eventually, Aston Villa.

“Me and my sister both used to ice skate which was completely different but I just remember I just wanted to go fast,” recalled Rabjohn. “That was when my dad was kind of like, ‘this probably isn’t for you’.

“I went to this coaching school every Saturday and loved it. There was a bunch of boys and I just rang rings around them and had a great time.”

And in November 2021, the pair made their professional debuts in the same fixture for Villa. They were both handed starts, lining up together against Sheffield United in the League Cup.

“We were able to develop with each other,” Rabjohn explained. “I just remember it felt like she was unlocking these doors for me. I’ll forever be grateful for that because it gave me a view on where I wanted to be and what I wanted to ultimately to make a career out of.”

The former Manchester United defender wasn’t always such, either. A career between the sticks was once a possibility during those early grassroots years before a position change came about.

“We had the garden all set up – we had astroturf in the garden with a massive goal, so that my mum didn’t have to scrub all our football kits,” she laughed. “I often found myself in goal and Olivia would do all the shooting, so I was diving about getting muddy and my mum hated it.

“I used to play for my school team in goal and there was the odd occasion that I’d play in goal for Villa actually a couple of times. It was just a bit of fun! I was always told that I was too good outfield to be a goalkeeper and people thought I’d waste my career doing that. I’m glad I listened!”

But amid a career that has already seen plenty of ups and downs, how does a promising England youth international unwind and switch off from football?

“I’m a big Lego builder,” answered Rabjohn, whe relocated north of the border to complete a switch to Celtic last month. “It’s just like an escape. It’s something that I love.

“We did a paint and sip thing on our last camp, but I said, ‘I’m not painting’, so I just brought my own Lego and sat and the back and built it, so I had a great time!

“I remember we went to Portugal with the under-19s, I took this car and I built it throughout the whole of camp, then me and Freya Godfrey, it was our mission to get it back home all in one piece! I think some of the girls helped out with that.”

This season, the Young Lionesses are through to the semi-final of the WU23 European Competition after beating France earlier in the week to progress.

Lauren Smith’s side are back in action on Friday 6 March in an international match-up against the Netherlands at Shrewsbury Town’s Croud Meadow Stadium and Rabjohn’s family will be in attendance, making the short journey from her ‘home-home’ in the West Midlands to Shropshire.

“We enjoy playing home games because we have so many fans,” added Rabjohn, who made her WU23s debut late last year in a 1-0 victory over Norway.

“I think with the game progressing, that also means we’ve got more and more people coming to watch us because they want to watch the next generation and we love being a part of those games.”