Ireland striker Leanne Kiernan faces the heart-breaking prospect of surgery and is set to be sidelined for several months through injury.
The Liverpool ace suffered a serious ankle injury during last weekend’s WSL opening day win against reigning champions Chelsea.
Kiernan, whose goals helped secure promotion back to the top-flight last season, will now miss the World Cup play-off against either Austria or Scotland.
And she will miss a significant chunk of the Reds’ campaign, with manager Matt Beard confirming the news.
“It’s obviously really disappointing for Leanne and the rest of the squad because she had a terrific pre-season and has been in great shape,” he said.
“But these things happen in football, we have a squad to deal with these things and excellent medical staff to get Leanne back in great shape when she’s ready.”
Kiernan thanked Reds fans for their support in recent days.
“Thank you to all the fans who reached out to me, your support means a lot. I’m looking forward to getting back out there as soon as I can. See you soon,” she said.
The Cavan native came off the bench during Ireland’s 1-0 win over Slovakia earlier this month - a result that earned Ireland a bye to the final round of the play-offs.
Ireland boss Vera Pauw singled Kiernan out for praise after the Slovakia clash, saying: “I’ve never seen her so sharp as this week.
“We know that when we put her on before and didn’t get it out of her but this week she’s been so sharp.
“We chose her and she did really well. She understood how we keep our pressure on. That was the reason we needed her. She did fantastic.”
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