Emma Hayes has said Fran Kirby “won’t be available for club or country for the foreseeable future” as doctors search for answers to the Chelsea and England forward’s fatigue problem.
Kirby missed much of 2019-20 with pericarditis, a condition affecting the fluid-filled sac around the heart, but returned last season to collect player of the year awards from the Professional Football Association, the Football Writers’ Association and Women’s Super League. She had carried her sublime form into the new campaign but has not featured for club or country since February and, with four WSL games left and less than three months to the Euros, time is against her.