England midfielder Fran Kirby has been ruled out of the World Cup after she would need surgery on an injury sustained three months ago. Since being forced off with a knee injury in the Continental Cup semifinal victory over West Ham on February 9, Kirby has not played for Chelsea or England. She will now miss the remaining WSL season as her club strives for a fourth straight league championship. The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July will be played without England’s captain Leah Williamson and the tournament’s player of the year from Euro 2022 Beth Mead.
The attacker revealed that Kirby will be sidelined until after this summer’s World Cup after Chelsea announced on Tuesday that she would undergo surgery and be out for a “significant period of time,” leaving her out of the championship battle as well as the Women’s FA Cup final against Manchester United. The 29-year-old has struggled mightily with injuries in recent years, despite starting all six games and winning Euro 2022 with the Lionesses. She was given the diagnosis of pericarditis in 2019 and was so exhausted that she was unable to play between February and May of last year.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to avoid surgery, but sadly, my progress has been constrained by the problem with my knee. That my season is finished and I won’t be able to attend the World Cup in the summer breaks my heart to pieces,” England midfielder Fran Kirby said. “I’ll be doing everything I can to be prepared for the start of the upcoming season, and I’d want to wish my Lioness teammates and my Chelsea teammates the best of success for the remainder of the current campaign.”
Kirby’s manager Emma Hayes said that she had increased her training back on the grass at that time before being struck down by the most recent long-term setback. Kirby travelled alongside her team-mates for their ultimately disappointing Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona last week. If Chelsea wins every one of their final six league matches without Kirby, they will keep their WSL championship. Given that the WSL resumes on September 29, just 40 days after the World Cup is over, the Blues may also be concerned about her health going into the upcoming domestic season.
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