Karen Carney believes a change of mentality and improved fitness levels are required for England Women to end their wait for silverware.

The Lionesses were eliminated at the semi-final stage for the third-successive major tournament after suffering World Cup defeat to eventual winners the United States.

Experienced winger Carney, who retired from football after the competition in France, thinks repeatedly falling short can drive the team on.

"I won't be a part of that journey but I sure as hell will be there supporting and being the Lionesses' number one fan and hoping that they do eventually get from a semi-final to a final and bring that gold medal home.

"It's a big couple of years for him now and I wish him all the best."

Former Arsenal, Birmingham and Chelsea player Carney, who won 144 caps for her country, hung up her boots at the age of 31 saying she had "nothing else in the tank".

However, she was keen down to play down the significance of age and believes players aged 30 and above were England's top performers at the World Cup.

"Our best players were the senior players: Karen Bardsley, Steph (Houghton), Jill (Scott), Ellen (White). Age is but just a number and they've got the mentality, they've got the desire, they've got the passion and they'll go on as long as they want to," she said.

"Hopefully the young players will learn from them and push the senior players.

"When you hit 30 people have got his perception that you're past it and I really disagree with that."

Carney is now looking towards a career in the media and also intends to enjoy herself free from the restrictions imposed on professional footballers.

"I want to do skiing, I want to do travelling, I want to backpack," she said.

"I've travelled the world with football but probably in a privileged way. We've travelled and travelling means going from an airport to the pitch to the hotel. I haven't really seen or explored things.

"I would love to do skiing and go with my mates and have a chalet, have a drink, have a good time and just switch off. Or maybe a marathon, or something crazy like that."

:: The first show of the 2019/20 season of EFL on Quest begins at 9pm on Saturday. You can watch free-to-air highlights of the EFL on Freeview channel 12, Freesat channel 167, Sky channel 144 and Virgin channel 217.