Manchester United and England midfielder Ella Toone is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a calf injury during training. Toone has already missed United’s last two fixtures and was not included in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for England’s upcoming friendlies against the United States on November 30 and Switzerland on December 3.
Toone’s injury has left a gap in United’s lineup as they prepare for a crucial Women’s Super League clash against Chelsea this Sunday. Following the international break, United will face Liverpool and Crystal Palace, as well as a League Cup match against Newcastle. However, manager Marc Skinner has confirmed that Toone’s return is uncertain.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Skinner provided an update on Toone’s recovery, acknowledging the seriousness of the calf issue. He stated:
“We have three games after the international break before Christmas, and ideally we’d love to have Ella back for those. But we’re not going to rush her back because it’s a calf injury—it affects your running mechanism, and if we push her too soon, it could take longer to recover.”
Skinner further explained that while the team hopes for a return before the Christmas break, Toone is likely to miss this weekend’s match against Chelsea, the international friendlies, and possibly the first match after the break. United will continue to assess whether it is worth trying to bring her back for these few games or if it would be better to reset and target a return after the holiday period.
In addition to Toone’s injury, United may also be without forward Elisabeth Terland for the Chelsea match. Terland felt groin tightness during last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Leicester and missed the midweek League Cup win over Everton. Skinner hopes that Terland’s issue is not long-term and that she will return after the international break.
United are heading into Sunday’s match unbeaten in their opening seven WSL games, although they have drawn three of them. They sit fifth in the standings, six points behind leaders Chelsea, who have won all their games since Sonia Bompastor replaced Emma Hayes as manager this summer.
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