The Chelsea midfielder is yet to start a game for England in France but expect that to change as the knockout stages begin for a player Phil Neville treasures

At her second World Cup, Karen Carney is one of the most experienced players in Phil Neville’s side. She is also the most calming presence, on and off the pitch.

“I didn’t pick Carney for 12 months,” Neville said before the tournament. “She was coming back from injury, other players had taken their opportunities – she’s been on standby lists for three or four squads. But then she came in for the Austria and Sweden camp in November. Then we took her to Qatar and it was in Qatar where I thought: ‘Yep, she’s coming to the World Cup.’ Her influence on and off the field, her performance levels for Chelsea, in the big games, the big moments; she’s a big-moment player.”

Cameroon’s Nchout Ajara, a heroine on and off the pitch, can hurt England Read more

The Chelsea winger ponders the serenity that is said to accompany her. “I don’t know why I bring that calmness and I’m not really aware of it, to be honest,” she says. “I just come on, smile and enjoy the moment. If that brings calmness, then great. In training I’ll be in a different world and Phil will say to me: ‘You’re counting pigeons again.’ And I think that’s just who I am. I’m usually in my own little world. I see things differently, I feel things differently and that’s how I’ve always been and that’s why I’m different to everyone else.”

The quietly spoken and well-mannered Carney, who talked in the buildup to this World Cup about her experiences with depression, prefers to steer clear of getting bogged down in the detail.

“I’m not literally counting pigeons,” she says. “I think I like less detail. I try to keep things simple. Information simple. Detail simple. I just play. I just aim to play as if it was five-a-side, as if I was an 11-year-old kid. That’s how I see it because that’s how it is. That’s what I try to tell the youngsters. You’ve played in bigger venues, like Wembley; chill, relax, have fun. You’re playing at a World Cup – it’s your dream. Don’t fear it, embrace it.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Carney (right) in action against Japan as she and England avenged their 2015 semi-final defeat with a 2-0 win on Wednesday. Photograph: Joosep Martinson - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

She gravitates to the younger debutantes, eager to tap into the buzz she felt at her first World Cup in 2015. “They remind me of myself when I was in that first tournament. I don’t say what I feel. I say what was said to me because my senior professionals were amazing to me. If I can do anything similar to the young pups I will do that. My senior pros protected me and looked after me and made me feel amazing.”

The 31-year-old is of the generation that had to fight to play. Now she is watching the younger players reap the rewards of her sacrifice, but she is not jealous. “I never had any expectations,” she said. “When I was 11, I just wanted to play for England. I didn’t know when it would happen, how it would happen. I picked that dream and I wanted that dream. I didn’t know how to process it.

“Since then, I’ve travelled the world. I went to university – I never would have gone to university through football. I’ve got a degree. I’ve got a master’s. I’ve met some amazing people, I’ve lived my dream. I’ve picked up so many skill sets that I never would have. I haven’t made a lot of money but I’m comfortable. I have food, clothes on my back and my family. For me, I’ll never be bitter.”

VAR is penalising goalkeepers unfairly at the Women’s World Cup | Eni Aluko Read more

At this World Cup, and in Emma Hayes’s Chelsea team, she looks happy. Carney came off the bench in all three group matches, albeit briefly against Argentina, and her performances mean she is staking a claim for a start in England’s last-16 tie against an unpredictable but exciting Cameroon on Sunday. She provided the assist for Ellen White’s second goal against Japan, which lifted the pressure.

“I’m in a good spot – touch wood – and I credit a lot to my managers, Phil and Emma Hayes. They’ve been amazing. And obviously my family have helped but I credit my two managers for making me enjoy my football and giving me the responsibility. I am very comfortable in my own skin – it’s taken a long process and I’m there finally.”

Carney likes Neville (in a video for the 90min website her teammates label her the teacher’s pet). Perhaps the reason the pair get on is that they view football in context. “Phil’s just a human being. He looks after us as humans and wants to make sure that we’re all OK and football’s secondary … Well, it is secondary.

“He’s big on being a good person, staying humble, staying classy and looking after each other and you can only demand that from other people if that’s what you are yourself. He is a person first.”