The European Club Association had in April highlighted July 10 as the earliest date for player release under Fifa regulations, and in mid-May the two bodies proposed June 23-29 as a guideline timeframe that they said struck “the all-important balance between players having sufficient rest while allowing adequate time to prepare,” with exact dates to be agreed between clubs and national associations.

Last week the June 19 start for England’s camp was confirmed by the Football Association, which said it was “grateful for the mutual understanding of the clubs, as we have collectively worked towards a solution with the wellbeing of players at the heart.”

Regarding the recent uncertainty, Toone told the PA news agency: “It’s not been ideal, but for us it’s what we can control and that was making sure we had rest and recovery, making sure we were physically and mentally getting ourselves back to where we know we need to be.

“Now I’m back on it, working hard and can’t wait to go into camp.”

Toone, part of Great Britain’s Tokyo Olympics squad in the summer of 2021 before helping England win the Euros last year, has been a regular starter for her country across 2022-23 and featured in a Manchester United side that achieved WSL and FA Cup best efforts as runners-up in each competition.

“It’s a World Cup, my first World Cup, so I can’t wait to get going,” she said.

Toone feels it is important player welfare and scheduling is something that continues to be looked at closely as the women’s game keeps developing, saying: “We’ve seen quite a few injuries in the WSL this season.

“We have to make sure we get that rest and recovery right, as teams and as players. The women’s game is growing massively, as a club we are in the Champions League now as well so that’s extra games. It’s definitely something we all need to focus on because injuries are a big part of the game right now.”

England captain Leah Williamson and Euro 2022 top-scorer Beth Mead will not be at the World Cup after sustaining ACL injuries, and Fran Kirby is also absent due to a knee problem from a 23-player group scheduled to face Portugal in a warm-up match at Milton Keynes on July 1 before flying to Australia four days later.

• FORMER and currect professional sportswomen appeared before Parliament’s women and equalities committee to report on sexism and inequality in sport.

Sexism is alive and kicking, MPs heard in a session yesterday — which heard from rugby player Shaunaugh Brown, netball player Eboni Usoro-Brown and track racing cyclish Janey Birkmyre among others examining women’s health and physiological issues in sport, including how body image, periods, pregnancy, menopause and injury can act as barriers to girls’ and women’s participation and elite performance.

Sportswomen and experts told the committee that there was more to be done regarding the current understanding of women’s sports injuries, with some injuries disproportionately affecting women.

In a previous session, football journalist and former Morning Star subeditor Suzanne Wrack suggested that the depth of research into women’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries “pales in comparison” to the type that would be done if it was “as big an issue in the men’s game.”