Q&AZara Shaw interview: First pro contract, fulfilling dreams at LFC and rehab progress

Putting pen to paper on that deal is the latest milestone in the academy product's promising career, which includes nine appearances for the senior team and one goal thus far.

Shaw, who debuted for the Reds in May 2024, is making encouraging progress with her rehabilitation on the anterior cruciate ligament injury she sustained in April while away with England's U19s set-up.

She spoke to Liverpoolfc.com at the AXA Melwood Training Centre to offer her reaction to the contract and provide the latest on her recovery – read on for the interview…

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Zara, congratulations on signing your first professional contract with LFC Women. How are you feeling after putting pen to paper?

I'm absolutely buzzing. It's an amazing feeling. It's a really proud moment for me and for my family and everyone who's supported me on the journey so far. I'm absolutely buzzing.

You're someone who's come all the way through the academy, so this must have been a moment you've been working towards for a very long time...

Definitely. I was just a little girl when I first joined Liverpool. You always dream of stuff like this but for it to actually be happening is amazing.

We're sat here in the AXA Melwood Training Centre. As a local Liverpool girl who grew up not that many miles from here, how does it feel to come in here every day?

It's surreal again, to be honest. The facilities here, as you all know, are unbelievable. We get treated like queens every day here! We have everything we need. It's amazing.

Here at Melwood, we've got the Pro Game Academy with lots of young players coming through who want to follow your path. How does it feel for you to potentially now be an inspiration?

It's lovely. I've been in that position myself and it's always nice to have people to look up to. I think being in the same environment as them is only going to help them in the future as well. I think they're so lucky to be involved in a facility like this now. Because when I was younger, we didn't have this. It's amazing.

Let's talk about last season for you – both domestically and internationally. It started off really well and included that fantastic first goal for the club at Newcastle United in the Women's League Cup. Talk us through those first few months...

It was great. Obviously I'd just returned from injury, so it was an exciting time anyway. I just wanted to get playing and have that consistency and to achieve all those little things that you want to – like your debut, your first WSL start, your first goal for the club. I feel like it was really exciting and I was just happy to be back playing, to be honest.

Internationally, we get to November and you're away with England U17s at a World Cup and reach the semi-finals...

Those memories will stick with me for life, I'll never forget them. To be in the Dominican Republic and my dad came out as well to support – and lots of the girls' parents came out as well – it was an amazing experience with the best girls in the country at our age, [with] the best coaches, playing against the best teams in the world. It was unbelievable.

We get to the second half of the season and you've stepped up to England U19s and suffer a significant knee injury. How was that for you to deal with mentally?

It was really tough, as you can imagine. I think only the people closest to you really know the effects it has. At the end of the day you're a footballer, so all you want to do is play football. For it to be taken away from you is obviously hard. But I think you have to take the positives from the bad situations and you develop off the pitch through that time. Mentally, I think you become so strong because you see the girls going out to train every day and you want to join them but you're stuck in the gym. I think it really builds that patience and resilience to keep going because you have no other choice ultimately. You just have to crack on and get on with it.

Talk to us about how important your support network is at that time...

It's so important. I'm lucky enough to have an amazing support network, like my mum and dad. They're both my rocks. I couldn't have done anything without them and got through this. Equally, I think everyone – the coaches, medical staff, all the girls – have been really, really good. Everyone really rallies around you when something like that happens and you need it then. It's really positive.

The fans will be excited to hear about how you're getting on. We see your hard work here every day. How is the progress?

I'm working hard every day to try to get back out there as quick as I can. But at the same time, I'm not rushing it – I'll be ready when I'm ready. I'm doing well at the moment. I should actually be starting to run, I think, next week. I've just got a few more markers to hit and once they're hit, I'll be out on the pitch running, which will help. That's a big step in the rehab.

To finish, just tell us about Zara Shaw's hopes and dreams for the next few years...

Short term is obviously I just want to get back on the pitch. I want to find that consistency again and just continue to play football. The past few seasons I've obviously been in and out far too much for my liking, so I think I just want to find that consistency and just continue to play and enjoy my football. I'm just excited to be back on the pitch as soon as I can.

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