Chelsea Women's forward Fran Kirby has been ruled out indefinitely due to a fatigue problem.
The England international made her last appearance on the field in February, and Emma Hayes recently revealed that she would not be able to take part in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Arsenal.
After Hayes admitted that Kirby would need some time to get to the bottom of the issue, the 28-year-old posted an update on social media, claiming that it was "time to put my health first".
"I'm sad that I have to write to you all another message like this 😢. With this being an on-going issue throughout my career, it was time to put my health first," Kirby said on Twitter.
"Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to message, I'm doing everything to try and come back once again. But until then, I will be Chelsea and the Lionesses biggest fan with you all."
Kirby has scored six goals and set up six more in 13 Women's Super League appearances for Chelsea in the 2021-22 campaign after a staggering 16-goal and 11-assist haul in their title-winning 2020-21 season.
Ben Knapton
