Taylor: Keating ready for West Ham | OneFootball

Gareth Taylor says Khiara Keating is fine to face West Ham United in the WSL on Sunday.

The goalkeeper was withdrawn from the England squad during the recent international break to manage a knee injury.

And with both Ellie Roebuck and Sandy MacIver also sidelined, City secured the emergency loan move of Brighton stopper Katie Startup to help bolster the squad.

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However, the boss insists Keating’s injury isn't cause for concern.

Speaking in his press conference, he said: “She’s [Keating] fine, she came back from England duty just as a precaution.

“She’s had an ongoing knee issue but we’ve been managing it. It’s fine, we felt it was the right call to protect her.

“And with that situation it was unlikely she was going start, so it didn't make sense to push her too much in the training demands of England.

“It was an easy conversation to have with Sarina Wiegman and Khiara was good throughout.

“She’s been back in training with us since. We were fortunate enough to get Katie in from Brighton who's trained with us all this week. She's done really well and been a good addition for us.”

WATCH: LIVE | Gareth Taylor press conference

The boss also provided a positive update on the condition of Leila Ouahabi, who was ruled out of our 4-1 triumph over Liverpool before the international break.

But Taylor revealed that the defender had made a full recovery and would be ready for selection if called upon this weekend.

Indeed, beyond long-term absentees Roebuck, MacIver and Jill Roord, only Kerstin Casparij is unavailable for our clash with the Hammers as she prepares to serve a one-match ban.

“Leila’s fine,” he added.

“She had an injury that was just one of those hot and cold ones that can flare up.

“She wasn’t able to participate against Liverpool, but was back on the pitch by Monday or Tuesday and represented Catalonia in the international break.

“It’s good to have her back but we’re losing Kerstin [Casparij] on the other side with the one game ban.

“We have good options there, Demi [Stokes] got on against Liverpool too – it good to see her back.

“All over the pitch we have good options and training levels which is helping a lot.”