Everton Ladies' preparations for their WSL curtain-raiser against Birmingham City on Sunday have been interrupted by a number of players heading abroad on international duty.

But as Head Coach Andy Spence explains, it is a sign of how well the Toffees have done that so many of the squad are gaining international experience on a regular basis.

This summer has seen Meg Finnigan, Chloe Kelly and Taylor Hinds win a bronze medal with England at the Under-20s World Cup, Gabby George make her senior Lionesses debut, and Inessa Kaagman called up to the Dutch squad for the first time, joining Siri Worm in the European champions' ranks.

Simone Magill and Angharad James continue to be mainstays for Northern Ireland and Wales respectively, the latter joined by Elise Hughes, while Claudia Walker, Abbey-Leigh Stringer and Georgia Brougham travelled to Norway to compete in the Nordic Tournament with England Under-23s.

So while those call-ups may have denied him a complete squad at times, Spence insists the Club will always look to help fulfil the international aspirations of the players - and predicts he might lose a couple more in the next break.

Watch the video above to hear why the Ladies boss was happy to see so many of his players plying their trade on the international stage. Users of the Everton app can navigate via the 'video' section.