Fran Kirby ruled out of action for Chelsea and England Women as she ‘puts health first’ | Football News

Chelsea and England Women striker Fran Kirby has ruled herself out of action for an indefinite amount of time as she continues to battle ongoing health struggles.

The forward has been absent from competition since February, confirming in a tweet on Friday evening that she plans to “put her health first”, before thanking people for the messages of support she has received.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, who is preparing her side to take on Arsenal this weekend, said that Kirby has been suffering with ‘fatigue’, but the cause of that is yet unknown.

Hayes said: “No chance of her playing at the weekend. She’s been taking some time in the background, been suffering with a lot of fatigue.

“I don’t have a definitive reason why that is, we don’t know but we’re trying to get to the bottom of it and taking the time we can to try and find the right solutions for Fran. This is something that’s been ongoing and unfortunately until we get to the bottom of it Fran won’t be available for selection.”

Kirby was named WSL Player of the Season last year, having missed much of the previous campaign.

The striker scored in England’s Arnold Clark Cup victory over Germany in February which sealed Sarina Wiegman’s side the title, but would now appear a doubt for the European Championships this summer.

Chelsea Women’s remaining fixtures

April 17 – Arsenal (a)

April 24 – Tottenham (a)

April 28 – Tottenham (h), live on Sky Sports

May 1 – Birmingham (a)

May 8 – Manchester United (h)

England’s Euro 2022 fixtures

July 6: England vs Austria – kick-off 8pm, Old Trafford

July 11 England v Norway – kick-off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium

July 15 Northern Ireland vs England – kick-off 8pm, St Mary’s

Knockout phase

Quarter-finals

Wednesday July 20

Quarter-final 1: Winners Group A v Runners-up Group B – kick-off 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium

Thursday July 21

Quarter-final 2: Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A – kick-off 8pm, London Community Stadium

Semi-finals

Tuesday July 26

Semi-final 1: Winners quarter-final 1 v Winners quarter-final 3 – kick-off 8pm, Bramall Lane

Wednesday July 27

Semi-final 2: Winners quarter-final 2 v Winners quarter-final 4 – kick-off 8pm, Stadium MK

Final

Sunday July 31

Winners semi-final 1 v Winners semi-final 2 – kick-off 5pm, Wembley