Liverpool boss Matt Beard has revealed winger Melissa Lawley could be sidelined for around six months with a hip injury.
Lawley made an impressive start to the campaign. However, she hasn't made a competitive start for the Reds since their 1-0 defeat to Leicester City in early February. The 29-year-old made her long-awaited return to the matchday squad in last weekend's Women's Super League clash with Brighton, coming off the bench to help the Reds claim all three points against the Seagulls.
However, Beard has now confirmed Lawley won't feature again this term and will need to undergo surgery on the hip issue that has been plaguing her for much of the season.
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"Unfortunately, Mel is going to be out and she is probably going to need an operation," the Liverpool boss said on Friday.
"Without going into the ins and outs, she is probably going to be out for six months all in all, post-operation."
It's a huge blow for the Reds, who will be hoping to make it five games unbeaten in the WSL when they travel to Leicester this weekend. The Foxes came out on top in the reverse fixture at Prenton Park, however Beard is confident the pressure will be off his side when they step out at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
"We know it's going to be a tough game, we know they're going to be flying out of the traps, they're going to be putting us under a press," Beard said, reflecting on the opposition.
"They are very physical. They have got a few ways of playing; they can play out from the back, they can be direct, they're physical. So we know it's going to be tough tomorrow, especially the position they're in.
"They'll look at this as a game maybe they would have banked points on. We're in a good position in the league table, I think you can see where we've gone on this run the pressure has sort of come off us. The pressure will be on them tomorrow, we can go about our business and enjoy it."
While Liverpool are not yet statistically safe, only a freakish run of results would now prevent them from maintaining their top-flight status beyond the end of this season. And while Beard concedes there is plenty his side can still improve on, he believes his players should be proud of what they have achieved this term.
"It was always going to be a tough year for us. We’ve been open about the fact that our ambition was to stay in the division," he admitted. "That’s the first thing we want to tick off and now, sitting in seventh place with 19 points, we’re pleased with where we are.
"We feel we could be in a potentially better decision but there’s a lot of heart we can take from this season, especially with some of the injuries we’ve had. We’ve learnt a lot.
"We’re pleased with where we are but there are plenty of points still to play for and, as I’ve always said, we want to finish as high up the league table as we can."
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