Skinner issues injury update ahead of Leicester clash
Manchester United Women head coach Marc Skinner confirmed that Alessia Russo is back out on the pitch, but will not be available for his side’s trip to Leicester this weekend.
The WSL clash will take place at the King Power Stadium on Sunday (15:00 BST), as United look to extend the lead at the top of the table and continue our 100 per cent league record at the start of 2022/23.
In his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Skinner confirmed that Russo remains out, as she continues to recover from the injury which forced her to pull out of the Lionesses' recent round of fixtures.
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“Alessia is still the same,” he said. “So [she’s] progressing nicely again on the field, [doing] rehab with Aoife [Mannion]."
He also gave an indication of when he expects the England international to be back.
“She’s still missing, so probably two to three weeks away," he added. "She’s training, she’s back on the field, everything is progressing nicely [but] no team training.
“Probably team training within two to three weeks.”
The United boss also issued updates on Grace Clinton, Hannah Blundell and Ona Batlle.
“Grace Clinton won’t be available but she’s back on the grass training as well, which is good,” he said. “Hannah [Blundell] is back in individual training so – it was more precautionary at the weekend. She felt something so it was important that we don’t overdo that.
“[Ona] hasn’t trained today, she’s done light exercise, and then we are just following it up [her concussion sustained v Brighton] each day. We have a full-time doctor so she’s under care and supervision.
“She’s progressing nicely but there’ll be no risk to the player. If she’s not ready for this weekend, then we’ll carry on.”
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The Reds are looking to make it four wins from four in the WSL when we visit the King Power Stadium on Sunday, but Skinner insists his side aren’t getting carried away.
“When we play Leicester this weekend, I think the biggest thing for us is that we will not take Leicester lightly,” he said. “There’s no way [we will do that].
“And I think complacency can be a real beast for any team that has aspirations of being successful, so I’ve got to make sure we don’t get complacent at any point.
“If we take our focus off Leicester, we’re not going to win the game.”