Manchester City forward Hayley Raso has been ruled out of international duty for Australia with an ankle injury.
FAWSL Full-Time were informed of the news this morning via an official Football Australia Media press release. Raso has been replaced in the Australian squad by Princess Ibini-Isei.
It is not currently known how serious Raso’s injury is. The player did come off the bench to feature in both of Manchester City’s UEFA Women’s Champions League Round 1 ties against Tomiris-Turan and Real Madrid, however, she did not play in The Cityzens’ pre-season friendly against Liverpool at The Academy Stadium on Saturday. Raso has a fortnight to recover before Manchester City’s opening match of the domestic season against Arsenal on Sunday 11 September.
Raso’s absence from the Australia squad means that she misses The CommBank Matildas’ double header against Olympic Gold Medalists Canada. Australia face Bev Priestman’s side in Raso’s home city of Brisbane on Saturday in the first match before taking on the same opponents in Sydney three days later.
Despite Raso’s withdrawal, there is still plenty of Manchester City representation in the Australian squad. Defender Alanna Kennedy and forward Mary Fowler have both been included alongside five other players from the Barclays Women’s Super League.
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