Former Arsenal and England player Alex Scott says female players need to start accepting criticism if they want equality with men.

Scott says that men take 'flak day in, day out' and that with the SheBelieves Cup and Olympics around the corner, the pundit feels the players need to be prepared to take some stick, albeit with support measures in place.

Speaking in her Sun column, she said: "Female players have to start accepting flak for poor performances — but at the same time, support networks must be put in place. Our Lionesses and the Team GB squad have two months to prepare themselves for a wave of increased pressure and scrutiny.

"If female players want to share the positives of men’s football such as increased exposure, megabucks salaries and shiny training facilities, then they have to accept the ugly side too.

"Men get slaughtered day in, day out, so if women want to be treated the same, they also have to assess when performances haven’t been up to scratch.

"The criticism is about to be hotter than ever — it’s vital we prepare our girls for the road ahead."

The SheBelieves Cup begins on March 5, with England's first game set to be against world champions USA on March 6.