Ankle injury will force Chelsea forward to spend weeks on the sidelines
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has confirmed that forward Fran Kirby will face weeks on the sidelines as a result of the ankle injury which she sustained whilst on international duty.
Speaking to Chelsea’s official media sources this morning, Hayes advised that Kirby’s injury has been assessed by the club’s medical team and the player will be out for a number of weeks.
Whilst Hayes is unsure of the actual timescale for Kirby’s recovery, that fact that she hasn’t declared that the forward will face months out surely offers both consolation and hope for Chelsea fans.
Kirby was called up to the England squad by national team manager Phil Neville last month for both an international friendly against Germany, which was subsequently postponed, and a training camp at St George’s Park. The player was fielded in an ’11v11′ friendly match in Burton upon Trent where she sustained her injury, resulting in her withdrawal from the remainder of the camp.
Kirby’s injury comes as a real blow for the player herself, her club and their fans with the forward having enjoyed a blistering start to the new campaign. She returned from severe illness in Chelsea’s FA Women’s Community Shield victory over Manchester City at Wembley in August and has gone on to net three goals in six appearances in all competitions for The Blues.
Chelsea face their first match without Kirby tomorrow evening when Tottenham Hotspur are the visitors to Kingsmeadow in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup.