“The closer I get, the more excited I am” – Morris on her road to recovery from ACL injury

After a long journey back from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Ella Morris has revealed where she is in her recovery and expressed her eagerness to get back on the pitch this season after penning a new, long-term contract with the Club.

Following an impressive end to the 2024/25 campaign, where she received her maiden call-up to the senior England squad in May and was named our Juniors’ Supporters Player of the Season, the 22-year-old defender was dealt a huge blow in the summer.

In just her second training session with the Lionesses, Ella suffered an ACL injury, ruling her out of action for the past eight months.

Facing a long road to recovery for the second time in her career, she has shown plenty of resilience and character in her rehabilitation and has since returned to the grass to begin running once again – and now she is targeting a return to full training soon.

“I’m doing really well,” said our number three, speaking to us as part of her new contract announcement. “I’m nearly eight months post-op now.

“I’m on the pitch, building up my mileage, stats and data. Hopefully soon, I’ll be more integrated into team training."

Joining us in July, 2024, after a successful spell at Southampton, where she progressed through the age groups to becoming a first team regular on the south coast, Ella felt her time at the Club has seen her grown as a person, especially away from the pitch.

“I think it’s allowed me to discover who I am. I loved my time at Saints, but being at one club for so long, I was still kind of a child in a way.

“Moving environments, moving out of home, learning who I am - it’s been really exciting. I like who I am now, I like who I am around the girls and in this environment. It feels really nice to feel settled again.”

The England youth international suffered an injury-hampered start to life in Lilywhite but, in the second half of the campaign, she caught the eyes of many with some impressive displays.

Completing every single minute of our last eight WSL games in the 2024/25 season, even scoring her first goal for the Club in a clash against Aston Villa in that run, she received her first-ever call-up to the Lionesses’ squad, having been a regular for the Under-23s over the last few years.

However, she has been watching on as a supporter this season while her team-mates have enjoyed a fantastic first half of this campaign, currently sat fourth in the table, and Ella is now itching to get back involved.

“The closer I get, the more excited I am,” she added. “There’s always a bit of envy - you don’t fully feel part of it when the team’s winning and you’re not in the changing room.

“But it’s also excitement. That envy pushes me more to want to get back in there and be part of those celebrations.

“If I can get even a few minutes towards the end of the season, I’ll be running around like a madwoman, working as hard as I can.

“The girls have been amazing and the staff have been absolutely brilliant – a huge shoutout to them. They know who they are. I moan at them a lot, but it’s all love.”

Today is a good day! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/MqgI5fiStr

— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) November 26, 2025

The recovery period can be difficult at times: differing schedules to the rest of the squad, training in the mornings of matchday and not having that feeling of being ready to get out on the pitch.

So, what is one aspect that Ella is excited for when she returns?

"For me, it’s the matchday feeling - the buzz before a game,” she told us.

“The morning routine, getting ready, being in the changing room when everyone’s buzzing. That moment where you think, ‘yeah, I’m back now’. That’s what I’m really looking forward to.”