REPUBLIC OF IRELAND international Aoife Mannion is “eight to 10 weeks away” from playing for Manchester United as she recovers from a quad tear, according to manager Marc Skinner.
This effectively rules the centre-half out of Ireland’s remaining Uefa Women’s Nations League group games in late October and early December.
“Aoife has a quad issue where she is about eight to 10 weeks away,” Skinner said. “It’s a little tear in her quad. She should be absolutely fine after that. She is back on rehab and back around.”
Mannion, 28, declared for the Girls In Green earlier this year and impressed in two appearances, but missed the World Cup due to a knee setback.
The English-born defender had previously overcome two cruciate injuries in quick succession, and this quad issue comes as another concern.
United showed their faith in Mannion with a contract extension during the summer.
She’s one of several Irish internationals who will miss the start of the Women’s Super League [WSL] season. With 13 involved for the 2022/23 campaign, Liverpool duo Leanne Kiernan and Niamh Fahey are among the others sidelined for opening weekend.
Kiernan, 24, suffered an horrific ankle injury in the Reds’ opener last September and the Cavan striker has struggled to regain full fitness since. Like Mannion, she was absent for the World Cup.
Liverpool manager Matt Beard told a press conference today that Kiernan is now “pain free,” back on the pitch running and “maybe three to four weeks away” from team training.
“On the injury front, Melissa Lawley isn’t a million miles away now and hopefully Leanne Kiernan won’t be too far behind as well but we’ve just got to be careful with her,” Beard wrote in a column this week.
Liverpool captain Fahey, meanwhile, was sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a calf injury in mid September.
They face Katie McCabe’s Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in their opener on Sunday.
West Ham duo Jessie Stapleton and Jess Ziu and new Everton signing Megan Campbell missed the recent Nations League wins over Northern Ireland and Hungary through injury, but their status for this weekend is unclear.
Mannion’s absence is an undoubted blow for the Girls In Green, but competition is high at centre-half: Caitlin Hayes has made a huge impression since her recent addition to the back three alongside Louise Quinn and Diane Caldwell, with Fahey, Campbell, Stapleton, Savannah McCarthy, Hayley Nolan and Claire O’Riordan among other options.
