“It was tough,” she said. “I just ran, ran, ran, and ran more! There was a lot of running. I had a good laugh with the physios, but it was tough.
"It was quite a lot on my joints but it was good, it made me fitter. It was just nice to be back out there again.
“At the start it’s individual [running] but being back on the pitch with the girls, I was just happy. When my sessions were done, I’d watch the girls. Even when some of the girls had finished training, they would come and do some of the running with me. It comes down to all of that support, it really helps having good teammates.
“I was in the gym for the whole of winter, and on the pitch for all of summer, so it was nice.”
Towards the end of the 2024/25 season, which saw Rehanne Skinner’s side finish ninth in the WSL standings - bettering their 2023/24 points total by eight - Ziu was introduced back into the team's training sessions, back with the ball at her feet and even involved in some contact drills.
She said: “I did a week of training with the girls, contact. It felt good, but now I’m on my own at the minute doing a lot with the physios. We’re getting there.