Chelsea star Fran Kirby has withdrawn from the Lionesses squad for the upcoming Arnold Clark Cup tournament and former Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs has been called up in her place.
The 29-year-old pulled up in the 7-0 victory over West Ham in the semi-finals of the Conti Cup on Thursday night with a knee injury and will play no part in the tournament, which starts next week.
Nobbs, who completed the switch to Aston Villa in January, missed out on an initial call-up but will now have the chance to force herself into Sarina Wiegman 's plans.
READ MORE: Sarina Wiegman names England squad for Arnold Clark Cup as Bethany England misses out
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes confirmed after the West Ham win that Kirby had picked up a knee injury but was unable to provide much detail on the extent of the problem.
"It’s just a little bit of impingement in her knee," Hayes said post-match. "I think she will be alright. It might take a few days to settle down. I don’t know any more than that.
"Yes, maybe (she could miss out on Arnold Clark Cup). She might not go on this camp if her knee doesn’t respond well, but I can’t make those calls. The doctor has to analyse that."
The Lionesses are reigning champions in the Arnold Clark Cup after they won the inaugural tournament last year. They begin their defence on Thursday evening against Korea Republic at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes.
They'll then face Italy at the CBS Arena in Coventry next weekend before they take on Belgium at Ashton Gate in Bristol on Wednesday, February 22. The Lionesses ended 2022 without a single defeat as they won the Euros last summer and they'll hope to continue that form in the first international break of 2023 as they build towards the World Cup this summer.
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