YORK City Knights Ladies have added another England player to their squad by signing forward Lacey Owen.

The back-rower was named in the England Performance Unit in 2020 but did not make her international debut amid the coronavirus pandemic before taking a break from the sport.

Owen has now returned to rugby league with York and is in contention to debut in Sunday's top-two Betfred Women's Super League clash against Leeds Rhinos (12pm) at the LNER Community Stadium.

The 21-year-old, a try-scorer in the 2019 Grand Final, becomes the latest former Castleford Tiger to join the Knights, following in the footsteps of director of rugby Lindsay Anfield and numerous other key players.

Anfield said: “Lacey has been out of the game for about six months, whilst concentrating on her family and work.

"She has kept up her strength and fitness whilst away, and has fitted into the squad really smoothly.

“She is an all-round athlete with great footwork and aggression in defence.

"Lacey is also an outgoing and positive character in the group, and we are looking forward to seeing what she can offer in a Knights shirt.”