Gareth Taylor has responded to rumors that the striker in favor of Chloe Kelly could leave Manchester City in the January transfer window.
After reports that Kelly is open to a loan move to rivals Manchester United for the remainder of Women's Super League season, Taylor said the club is “not aware” of the speculation surrounding her.
Derby day disaster saw City bow out of the competition at the Etihad Stadiumas United claimed local bragging rights in a 4-2 win. The team will be forced to bounce back from the loss in preparation for a rematch in the Women's League Cup at the Subway on Wednesday evening.
Speaking to the media, Taylor confirmed that Kelly is unlikely to be available for the match due to an ankle injury sustained in training last weekend.
Despite rumors that her inaction could be linked to a possible departure from the club, the manager confirmed that the Englishman is “still our player until we hear otherwise”.
Taylor added: “When the players are here, they're here. They are Manchester City players up differently, and it's the same with Chloe. If nothing changes in this window, then she remains a Manchester City player. There is a lot of speculation about it, and we are only dealing with what we have in front of us.”
In other squad news, Taylor confirmed that star striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw is close to returning to action but will remain unavailable for the midweek game.
“She will probably be (available) for the weekend against Villa,” Taylor confirmed. “She's been a big loss for us, she's obviously had a big impact on the team. Once Bunny comes back, that will really help Viv (Miedema) and the other options we have up the pitch.”
Naomi Layzell has been out of action after picking up an ankle injury against Barcelona on matchday one of the UEFA Women's Champions League. Taylor said 90 min that Layzell is “close” to a comeback, but not quite ready.
“It's very disappointing with Naomi because she came close and then couldn't make those last checks,” he explained. “It's close, hopefully after the last meeting she had with the specialist, she can now take a step forward and return to the training group with us.
“She's done a lot of work behind the scenes and hopefully when we have the clear for her to rejoin the group, we can start to implement her back into the team.”
City will be without Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp, who are “in a good place” despite facing lengthy spells on the sidelines.