More than 73,000 people have signed a petition calling on Nike to make a replica of the shirt England goalkeeper Mary Earps wore during the World Cup.

Earps, who saved a penalty in Sunday’s final, which the Lionesses narrowly lost 1-0 to Spain, was named keeper of the tournament, winning the Golden Glove.

She was also part of the team which won the Euros last summer.

But while fans can get replica shirts printed with the names of the outfield players – such as Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze – they cannot get one with Earps’s name on it.

The Manchester United player, nicknamed Mary Queen of Stops, said previously that the decision not to produce a full set was “hugely disappointing and very hurtful”.

Her kit is in the ‘top sellers’ section on the Man Utd website.

The petition, which began last month, calls on Nike to “rethink” its decision.

It adds: “Let’s make [the company] see just how important our female goalkeepers are.

“Mary, and all female goalkeepers, we love and respect you. You are inspirational and we are behind you.”

More than 4,500 people signed the petition on Sunday.

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Earps said last month that the lack of a replica shirt represents a “scary message being sent to goalkeepers worldwide that you are not important”.

She added: “(Kids) are going to say ‘Mum, dad, can I have a Mary Earps shirt?’ And they’ll say, ‘I can’t, but I can get you an Alessia Russo 23, or a Rachel Daly 9.’

“And so what you are saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important, but you can be a striker if you want.”

Nike said it was “committed to women’s football” and “excited by the passion around this year’s tournament”.

A spokesman added: “We hear and understand the desire for a retail version of a goalkeeper jersey and we are working towards solutions for future tournaments, in partnership with FIFA and the federations.

“The fact that there’s a conversation on this topic is testament to the continued passion and energy around the women’s game and we believe that’s encouraging.”

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