Manchester City interim head coach Nick Cushing confirmed his side will be without the forward duo of Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and Aoba Fujino for their Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Chelsea.
Cushing said that both players had sustained muscle injuries.
The pair combined for City’s only goal in their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup final on Saturday and both were substituted in the 81st minute, with Cushing later saying that Shaw had left the pitch feeling her hamstring.
City’s meeting with Chelsea in Manchester on Wednesday will be their second of four consecutive meetings and Cushing told reporters on Tuesday that it will take a “few days to diagnose how long” Shaw and Fujino will be out for.
“Bunny Shaw came out, and she will be unavailable,” said Cushing. “Aoba is unavailable too.
“They’re two significant players that are missing [but] these moments give opportunities for other players.
“Both of them are muscle injuries. It’s going to take a few days to diagnose how long. I think they’re significant, but will leave it with the medical team.
“When you have muscle injuries, it’s ultimately not one you will turn around quickly.”
The absences leave City without two options in attack, and without Shaw’s goal threat. The Jamaica international has scored 19 goals in all competitions this season, including five in her last six appearances.
Both City and Chelsea are looking to win the Women’s Champions League for the first time in club history.
(Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
