Renee Slegers has issued an update on the fitness of her squad as we prepare to get our Adobe Women’s FA Cup campaign underway on Sunday, January 18 against Aston Villa at Meadow Park.
Asked about any team news since last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Manchester United, Renee said:
“There’s a couple of players making really good steps; I think the same availability (from last weekend). Daphne (van Domselaar) might be back, but we’ll see, she’s progressing well.
“Leah unfortunately sustained an injury so she won’t be available.”
The injury to Leah Williamson is a new one, but Renee doesn’t believe it will keep the England captain sidelined for too long.
“We are very hopeful that it’s not a big one. It’s not connected to the knee, so that’s positive; it’s an issue with her calf.”
On a more positive note, Leah’s England teammate Chloe Kelly took a significant step in her recovery as she returned to the grass during Friday’s training session.
“She is progressing well as well,” Renee said, “she is on the pitch, so we’re taking it day-by-day.
“We don’t have an exact date, there’s an optimistic plan and a more conservative plan, so we’ll see how she goes, but she’s making really good steps.”
With injuries to several first-team players this season, our head coach was asked if we’d consider turning to the transfer market to bolster our squad depth.
“We work longer term, so we want to look two or three windows ahead, and make sure we plan things really well. But we look to stay active.
“So, when the window is open, we are active. We always look to strengthen the squad when we can, but at the moment we haven’t planned for it.”
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