Brian Sorensen has said Everton are "looking at different options" in the transfer market following the departure of Brazil winger Gio earlier this week.
Gio arrived at Walton Hall Park in the summer on a season-long loan from Arsenal. However Sorensen and his team have had to manage the 19-year-old's playing time carefully after she picked up a hip injury just weeks into her Everton career. The Brazilian registered one goal and one assist in eleven appearances for the Toffees before the Gunners took the decision to cut her loan spell short.
While Gio's exit has limited Everton's attacking options ahead of the Women's Super League's return this weekend, Sorensen has insisted he is happy with his squad and maintained that the club will only dip into the transfer market should the right player become available.
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"We’re really happy with the squad we have," the Everton boss said.
"We let Gio go back to Arsenal which contractually we didn’t need to do but we want to work with Arsenal again with other loans and so on so they want her back and we let her go. That’s where we are in the food chain.
"Do we need a replacement? We’re looking at different options but as I said before we’re really happy with the squad we have and we have Nicoline (Sorensen) back which we didn’t have in all the first games so that’s an extra player for us...we’ll see what happens but I don’t think we’ll do a lot."
Everton signed off for the winter break with a Conti Cup defeat to Durham on December 17 and will return to action on Sunday with the visit of 10th-placed Reading in the WSL. The prolonged break has allowed a number of players, including centre-back Megan Finnigan, to return to full fitness, with defender Katrine Veje the only absentee heading into this weekend's clash.
"We almost have full availability," Sorensen said, "Veje has had a setback so she won’t be (available) but the rest of the squad is healthy and ready."
Reflecting on Veje's injury, the Dane added: "It will take some weeks. I don’t know exactly how long but she got a little re-injury in the same (knee) problem she’s been dealing with.
"We played a friendly at the weekend and she played and got it there so we’ll have to assess it and see how it goes but she won’t be back in the next couple of weeks."
Everton will take to the field on Sunday looking to consolidate their position in the top half of the table and hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive home defeat. Reading have struggled for form this term, winning just two of their first 10 games, however a string of impressive displays before the winter break means Sorensen is expecting a challenging encounter when Kelly Chambers' side visit Merseyside.
"I think they are a good team," he said.
"They’re well-organised, work really hard. They’ve had some good displays lately against Chelsea and Tottenham so we need to be prepared 100% for that game because it’s going to be a tough one."
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