Mary Earps is used to leading from the front, whether as an England goalkeeper or highlighting issues in the women's game. This summer, she was the first one through the door as London City Lionesses collated a star-strewn squad.

The goalkeeper returns to the WSL after a two-year spell in France with PSG, something she describes as 'a very different environment'.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports ahead of the WSL's return on September 4, when London City face her former side, Manchester United, Earps said: "I really feel like I was able to go away and work on myself for a couple of years. There were things in my game that I've been able to kind work on as well.

"As a person, living away from home, immersing yourself in a new language, in a new culture, a new city, a new country, it teaches you a lot of things about yourself. It gives you space to reflect and figure out more about who you are and who you want to be as a person."

Earps has never been afraid of the big move. She also played for German giants Wolfsburg for a year before joining Man Utd and it's that experience that gives her empathy for the players coming to England.

"There's people who are maybe moving clubs for the first time," she said. "There's people moving countries, speaking different languages. I know how hard that is, but even moving back to England and speaking English, it's still a transition."

And the list of players now at London City is eye-watering. The biggest is Alexia Putellas - the Ballon d'Or winner who left her childhood club Barcelona for Bromley. Her team-mate Mapi Leon followed, as has Kadidiatou Diani. That's before we even talk about the players already there, like Kosovare Asllani, Delphine Cascarino and Grace Geyoro.

While these players, Earps included, are used to superstardom, they are still the newbies - dauting for anyone - but such an experience fosters a comradery vital for a successful team.

The goalkeeper explained: "I feel very much part of the newness of it all, and it's nice when other people are experiencing that for the first time as well, but even the players that have been here before, they've maybe only been here a year or so.

"But that's what happens when you're a brand new entity and it's exciting because you get to be a part of that history, and I do believe that London City will go on to do incredible things for a long time. That's a massive reason why I came here.

"It's great in a way because it's like everyone's first day at school. You say 'oh, I'm so nervous', but everyone is nervous because everyone's doing the same thing.

"But there's a lot of experience in the room as well. A lot of the players have won trophies, have incredible pedigree, so we're all bonded by that experience and maybe bumping into each other or playing against each other in some way.

"I honestly can't speak highly enough of the group that I've experienced so far and they've been brilliant at welcoming me."

It's not yet clear if Earps will be the London City No1. She will likely fight for the shirt alongside last season's first choice, Elene Lete - who signed a new deal this summer - with Sophia Poor and Sophie Hillyerd also among the goalkeeping group.

London City will want to tighten up at the back too, conceding 35 WSL goals last season. Not the worst, but for context, the top two - Manchester City and Arsenal - conceded 33 between them. Chelsea only let in 20, and if the club has any ambitions of unseating the Big Three, their number needs to dramatically reduce.

So how does the former WSL Golden Glove winner go about building that solidity with her new defenders?

"It's getting to know them because every individual is so different," Earps explained. "It's a lot of small details which make a big difference.

"Full-back and centre-back are two very different positions. Then you've got everyone's individual qualities and that is probably the hardest part - getting to know things like their starting positions, how they want to do the recovery runs, what position they going to take up in the box or how they like to receive the ball - do they like it in front of them, at them? Are they going to take two steps forward?

"And equally, they've got to get to know me, understand my position and where I like to be, what type of goalkeeper I am, so it's a lot of working it out on the pitch.

"I sometimes grab a conversation over lunch or in between reps and we're bouncing ideas off each other all the time."

London City's first test will come on September 4 as they open the WSL season against Man Utd at Hayes Lane, live on Sky Sports.

Earps' former side have had a turbulent summer, losing key players as well as changing head coach. Former Hearts boss Eva Olid replaced Marc Skinner, who left by mutual consent after five years.

"I was at Man Utd for five years. I have incredible memories there and met some incredible people," Earps said. "I know the club has changed a lot. There's not so many of the faces there that I know, but equally, they still have incredible players.

"It will be a really tough game, but I'm looking forward to it and I love a challenge. The support of Man Utd is always fantastic, home and away, so I know they'll come to Bromley and try and make it a difficult atmosphere for us.

"I don't know the ins and outs of everything, but I won an FA Cup with Marc and I will always really cherish that memory. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, to be honest.

"He also helped the club get to three other finals, so I think that speaks for itself and I wish him all the best in his next chapter."

Now though, Earps focus is on her own new chapter and another landmark chapter for London City. It remains to be seen how this headline-grabbing summer will translate onto the pitch - but it's one neither fans, nor the players, will forget in a hurry.