Just a day after announcing the extension of Captain Steph Houghton's contract, Manchester City have announced that they have acquired Danish defender Mie Leth Jans from Brøndby IF.

Jans will join the club on a two-year contract starting on July 1.

Who is Jans?

Jans, a defender who is known for her strength, started her career with Dragør Boldklub, before moving on to Danish powerhouse Brøndby IF. Lack of opportunities at Brøndby meant Jans joined BSF, also in the Danish League, in 2012. Here she impressed, and eventually got a call-up to the Danish National team in 2013. A year later, in 2014, she rejoined Brøndby, and has been a frequent starter for Brøndby ever since.She has accumulated 18 caps for Denmark since her debut in 2013, and is currently part of a training camp as part of Denmark's preparations for the 2017 European Championships.

Jans was part of the Brøndby side that lost 2-1 on aggregate to Manchester City in the Round of 16 in this seasons UEFA Women’s Champions League. Speaking to CityTV, Jans stated how impressed she was with City in that encounter; “[When I played here for Brondby], I liked the pitch. It’s good and I liked the whole atmosphere (…) I liked the players and their attitude – they were a team all the way through”.

Moving to the FAWSL

Moving from the Danish league to the FAWSL is a step up for Jans, who has had to combine life as a footballer with her full-time physiotherapy studies up until now. She is relishing the opportunity to concentrate on her football full-time: “Playing in Denmark, it is not easy to both be a professional player and study alongside.

She continued by saying that by joining City, she can focus more on football and become the best footballer she can be, but she will also continue her studies.

Jans has been used to success. Brøndby is one of two powerhouses in Danish women’s football, together with Fortuna Hjørring. The two sides are in a league of their own, and as a defender for either side you are often not challenged. One thing Jans takes with her from Brøndby is the winning mentality playing for a side that is always striving for gold “I’m from Brøndby, I was raised in Brøndby and it’s a winning culture: we only go for gold”, before stating to CityTV that she is looking forward to being challenged more “I like the tempo and the physical part of the English game. We don’t have that a lot in Denmark – only the hardest games”.