‘No guarantees’ – Chelsea boss Emma Hayes offers fitness update on Lionesses star Mille Bright ahead of Women’s World Cup

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes expects Millie Bright to be fit for the Women’s World Cup this summer but says that it is not guaranteed.

WHAT HAPPENED? The 29-year-old has been out since March, having undergone surgery on a knee injury she sustained in a Champions League match against Lyon. The defender was expected to play a key role for England at the summer tournament in Australia and New Zealand and Hayes is optimistic that she can still go on to do so.

WHAT THEY SAID: “Millie’s still on crutches. I think she’ll be okay for this summer’s World Cup but when you have surgery, the reality is she’s had her knee cleaned out and sometimes you give or take a week or two,” Hayes told reporters. “It might be a little bit earlier, it might be a little bit later, so I expect Millie to make the World Cup, but there’s no guarantees of anything in life. I know she saw the surgeon a couple of days ago and they were really happy with it so I have no reason to believe she won’t make it.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Bright helped England to European Championship success in 2022 and will hope to be part of their bid to win the World Cup when their campaign begins on July 22 with a match against Haiti.

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WHAT NEXT? Bright will continue her rehabilitation while Chelsea continue their fight for the Women’s Super League title by facing Arsenal on Sunday.

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