Taylor: Ouahabi ‘back in contention’ for West Ham clash

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Manchester City F.C.

·4 October 2024

Taylor: Ouahabi ‘back in contention’ for West Ham clash

Gareth Taylor says Leila Ouahabi could feature in City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against West Ham this Sunday.

The Spain international was brought off in the first half of our season opener against Arsenal with a groin injury.

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Laia Aleixandri and Kerstin Casparij have both filled in in Ouahabi’s absence in victories over Paris FC and Brighton, but the boss is hopeful of having her back in the fold this weekend.

Taylor also hinted at further minutes for Jill Roord as she continues to regain sharpness following her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but admitted her return needs to be monitored.

Speaking on the condition of the squad, the boss said: “Pretty good. We’ll have Leila back in contention for the squad, we have a couple carrying some little niggles going into a Champions League week as well which is exciting for us.

"[We have a] first group game against a good opponent in Barcelona at the Joie Stadium, but of course full focus is on West Ham and making sure we do all the right things.

“The signs so far have been good, Jill [Roord] is back in contention a little bit as well, we have to manage that in the appropriate way but pretty much everything is as we were for the last game with the addition of Leila.”

WATCH: Roord pays tribute to City medical staff after injury return

Roord made her first appearance since January in our last outing, a 1-0 win over Brighton at the Joie Stadium.

The Dutch international returned remarkably ahead of schedule, but the boss insisted she needs to be reintroduced on a gradual basis.

However, he feels Roord is returning as an even better version of herself than before her injury.

"There were times over the period of pre-season where she didn’t just dip in and out, she did it in isolation on her own,” Taylor added.

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“But the brief was that when she dropped back into team training and was ready for games, that’s pretty much it.

“That’s great but also not a green light for us to play her in back-to-back, 90 minutes, we have to do it in the right way and build up the load appropriately.

“But in terms of being fit and strong, she looks better than I've ever seen her.

“The work she's put in is testament to her and medical staff getting her ready to be available in this important period for us.”