da spicy bet： The forward hasn't had many chances for the national team since winning the Euros in 2022, but should her current form warrant a recall?

da heads bet： When Nikita Parris broke onto the scene with Everton, she did so as a bright, young forward willing to run at players and take them on, but also keen to work hard for her team. This was a player hungry to prove that she belonged at the highest level.

Fast-forward 13 years, and not much has changed. Parris will still run herself into the ground for her side, she’s still so direct and positive and, despite all she’s achieved, it still feels like she has a point to prove.

Now 29, Parris has won every trophy she’s competed for at club level – including the Women’s Champions League – and she’s also become a European champion with England. But she finds herself on the outside looking in when it comes to the Lionesses at the moment.

Sunday, then, was a reminder of what she can bring to the table. In the starting XI as Manchester United took on her old club, Everton, Parris stole the show, scoring twice and assisting another in a well-needed 5-0 win. No one created more chances or won more fouls than the forward, but perhaps more notably, no one won more tackles or aerial duels, either.

“I always want to be in positions to score goals and ultimately put the team ahead, and [I want] continue to fight for the team until the final whistle,” Parris told afterwards, perfectly summarising her all-round game. “That's my job and that's what I love to do.”

After such a display, there were plenty of calls for her to return to an England squad that she’s been absent from since last November. With the Lionesses attacking pool only growing, though, how strong are her chances?

GettyIncreased opportunities

After finding game time hard to come by in her one season with Arsenal, playing for less than 600 minutes in the Women's Super League, Parris joined United in the summer of 2022 and became much more of a fixture in a starting XI on her return to the north-west of England.

Featuring in 21 of the Red Devils' 22 league games, and only four times as a substitute, Parris was a regular as the club achieved its highest ever finish in the WSL. She played a key role in United's run to the FA Cup final, too, scoring four goals in four games.

Parris’ form towards the end of the 2022-23 season was particularly impressive, so much so that it looked like she would sneak into England’s Women’s World Cup squad despite huge competition in the attacking areas.

In the end, Sarina Wiegman opted for others to fill those roles, but Parris will be giving her food for thought with her form at the start of this season. Sunday might’ve brought with it her first goals of the season, but the 29-year-old has been lively at the beginning of this new campaign, one she kicked-off by assisting Rachel Williams’ dramatic and important winner at Aston Villa on the opening weekend.

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There are a lot of players in the England player pool that are in good form, so what is it that makes Parris stand out? Well, there’s not really anyone quite like the United star that Wiegman can otherwise call upon.

Capable of playing out wide or as a No.9, and having occupied both roles already in the early weeks of this season, Parris is versatile and has the understanding of what players in those positions want. If she’s operating out wide, she knows what kind of ball the striker wants. If she’s in the middle, she recognises where the winger is going to deliver their pass. That know-how of the centre-forward role also means Parris can be a goal-threat no matter the position she is in.

Her playing style is different, too. There are not many in the country that will work quite as hard as the 29-year-old, making her a real asset in a high press, and as she nears her 30th birthday, she is more than capable of using her experience to help her team.

Excellent at winning fouls in good areas, something aided by her wonderful dribbling ability, Parris is streetwise in a footballing sense, knowing how to run a clock down or slow a game down if the team needs it. And on top of it all, she’s a wonderful character who is a welcome addition to any dressing room.

GettyLimited action for the Lionesses

Wiegman knows all about Parris’ infectious personality and valuable experience, and we saw that during the 2022 European Championship. The forward only made two substitute appearances for England in that tournament, introduced in the 117th minute in the quarter-final against Spain and in the 120th minute in the final against Germany. When she came on in both matches, the Lionesses were 2-1 up and looking to see out a result, so Wiegman turned to a player who could get on the ball, carry the team up the pitch and then use her experience to get her country over the line. Parris would have, of course, craved a bigger role, but the way she was used was a compliment.

Opportunities to back up her contributions to that continental triumph have been few and far between, though. Parris started two games in the latter stages of 2022, against Luxembourg in World Cup qualifying and in a friendly with Norway that closed the year out, but the latter was her last involvement with the Lionesses.

If she can maintain the form she’s currently showing with Manchester United, could she get another chance?

GettyTons of competition

One of the problems that Parris can’t really control is the competition in those forward areas – and almost all of those battling for a spot are playing well. Rachel Daly, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Lauren James and Jess Park were picked to fill out the attacking positions in Wiegman’s latest squad, and Park is the only one who is not a regular starter right now, though she has shown bright sparks on her return to Manchester City after spending last season on loan at Everton.

Then there are those who haven’t been called up for England’s double-header against Belgium this month. Katie Robinson has been a favourite of Wiegman’s for her classic wide play and creativity, but the youngster is with the Under-23s for this international break; Ebony Salmon is starting to settle at Aston Villa as she tries to force her way back into the picture; and Beth Mead is back to fitness now after an ACL injury and will surely be in contention for the Lionesses’ final squad of the year, in November.

Parris looks sharp, but so do many others.