Daly and England aces have come up with plans to block social media trolling during the Euros

RACHEL DALY says England’s stars are ready to rally around team-mates who have faced online abuse during the Women’s Euros.

And the Lionesses ace says players have been talking about how they will deal with trolling and supporting younger squad members.

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Abuse of sports figures online on social media is an ongoing problem, prompting many tech companies to take tougher action against accounts posting obnoxious messages.

Fifa research examining racist trolling during Euro 2020 and this year’s Africa Cup of Nations revealed that almost half of the players from the semi-finals of both competitions were targeted.

Last July, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were subjected to horrific racist slurs after the Three Lions Euro final defeat by Italy on penalties.

The England trio were targeted after missing their penalties.

And last August, the Manchester Evening News reported that almost all insults directed at the players came via Twitter identifiable accounts.

On how the Lionesses would deal with trolling, Daly said: “We had discussions about this before a couple of camps, before the Euros, knowing what we know about abuse and things on social media and that it can be an amazing place but also quiet hard.

“We have social media captains on the team.

“I think that’s really helpful in providing insight for the younger players, especially as it’s their first tournament.

“It’s something they can count on our support for, especially more older players in relation to the abuse they may have received.

“We shared some of our insights and some people’s experiences.”

England boss Sarina Wiegman added: “We’re just trying to make the best plan to stay away from the abuse and not get it into our system.

“I think there are some things that organizations have put in place to stay away from the abuse, just to make sure it doesn’t reach players, so I’m hoping that works.”

Daly and Wiegman spoke ahead of England’s crucial pre-tournament clash with the Netherlands

The 2017 European champions, who also reached the 2019 World Cup final, will be their toughest opponents yet.

And at the Elland Road game, Daly – who is a lifelong Leeds fan – could play for her country in the home of the club she loves.

The Houston Dash captain added: “I spoke to Kalvin Phillips a little bit at St George’s Park last week.

“He knows I’m a big Leeds fan and we talked about playing for England there.

“All the well wishes from Leeds fans come via my Twitter so it’s nice.

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“All my family are die-hard Leeds fans and I’ve never played here (for the Lionesses) so it’s going to be special.

Of course it has an additional emotional element, but we just want to win the game and play as well as possible.

“Every cap you get for England is the greatest moment of pride in your family’s life, so it’s just another part of the journey.”