Fran Kirby opened up yesterday about the pressure she faces every time she steps on the pitch to live up to her “mini Messi” moniker.

Kirby has taken the game by storm since excelling at Reading, earning a move to Chelsea and becoming integral to Mark Sampson’s England side.

It was while playing for the national side at last year’s World Cup, during a victory over Mexico in which Kirby scored a brilliant goal, that Sampson likened her to Barcelona and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

That comparison has heaped a load of pressure on the 22-year-old though you wouldn’t think so given how well she has made the jump up from the second tier of the Women’s Super League.

Her goal-a-game ratio at Reading may not have been replicated at Chelsea yet, but she is currently the top scorer in the division with five goals.

Kirby admits that she finds the label “difficult” to live up to but would be a “fool” to tell people to stop comparing her to one of the greatest footballers of all time.

“It’s a difficult one for me because it’s a huge honour to get labelled that by the England manager,” she said. “It’s what everyone wants to hear.

“You want the manager to have that much trust and faith in you and being able to label you like that but then it does come with added pressure.

“When I’m playing now, people are expecting me to score three or four goals in every game.

“Pressure comes with playing for England and playing for Chelsea and it’s one of those things you have to deal with.

“I’m not going to turn around and tell him not to call me it because I’d be a fool.”

Kirby is in Sampson’s squad for Saturday’s Euro 2017 qualifier against Serbia, where she is expected to once again lead the line for the Lionesses.

After England’s excellent showing in Canada, in which they finished third, teams have taken notice of their prominent rise and set up more defensively against them.

Kirby expects Serbia to employ a similar tactic to the one Bosnia used back in April, in which England won thanks to an 86th minute winner from Karen Carney.

“I expect them to be a bit like Bosnia and try to frustrate us, but we’re looking forward to it,” Kirby said. “It gives us a chance to be creative, inventive, have a lot of possession and take our chances if we can.”