England forward Kirby ruled out for 'foreseeable future' with fatigue

Kirby was named the Women's Super League Player of the Season last term but the 28-year-old has not played for club or country since February this year.

Kirby's latest setback puts in doubt her participation in the European Championship, which will be hosted by England in July.

England and Chelsea forward Fran Kirby will not be available for club and country for the "foreseeable future" because she is suffering from fatigue, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said.

Kirby was named the Women's Super League Player of the Season last term but the 28-year-old has not played for club or country since February this year.

Kirby's latest setback puts in doubt her participation in the European Championship, which will be hosted by England in July.

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"She's been suffering a lot with fatigue," Hayes told reporters ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal on Sunday. "I don't have a definitive reason why that is, we don't know.

"Forget the athlete, (she's) just a human being and she's struggling and we have to get to the bottom of that... We're going through a process of elimination to try and determine why she's struggling.

"From my perspective, this isn't the first time, it's been ongoing for a lot of years... What I know is that she's not available for club or country and she won't be for the foreseeable future."

Kirby, who previously spent more than nine months out after being diagnosed with a heart condition at the end of 2019, said it was time to put her health first.

"Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to message, I'm doing everything to try and come back once again," she said on Twitter.