Striker Sam Kerr will “hopefully” return before the end of the season, says Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor.
Bompastor said it was “difficult” for her to put an exact timeframe on when the 31-year-old Australian will be able to play following a serious knee injury.
Kerr has not played for more than 12 months after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament during training in January 2024.
The Blues, who were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona on Sunday, have just four games left of this campaign.
The Women’s Super League finishes on 10 May but they also have the FA Cup final against Manchester United on 18 May.
“She’s working really hard,” said Bompastor. “All the performance staff are doing everything for her to play this season.
“We’ll see how it goes. We know we only have a few games left now. Hopefully, yes, but it’s difficult for me to have a clear answer.”
In February, Kerr was found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment after calling a Metropolitan Police officer “stupid and white”.
She returned to individual training in January and Australia interim coach Tom Sermanni hoped she would be fit for his side’s two matches at the start of April – but that proved too optimistic.
Chelsea swiftly return to action with a league game at Manchester United on Wednesday (20:15 BST), where they could win their sixth straight WSL title.
The Blues are no longer in the running for a quadruple after their Champions League exit but their sights are still set on achieving a league, FA Cup and League Cup treble.
Bompastor said the “best teams need to bounce back” to be successful, following her side’s demoralising 8-2 loss on aggregate to Barcelona.
“I’m still really confident going into this game on Wednesday,” she said.
“I think if we have the opportunity to win on Wednesday it will be a big step for the title. This motivation is strong enough and big enough for us to be focused on Manchester United.”
Chelsea are six points clear of second-placed Arsenal and would secure their sixth successive crown with victory over United should the Gunners drop points against Aston Villa earlier that evening.
“We had that ambition to make the quadruple,” said Bompastor. “It didn’t happen.
“That’s now for us to move forward and focus on the treble and hopefully we’ll have that at the end of the season.
“I came to Chelsea to have a lot of ambitions and convert my competitiveness into titles. That’s what makes me the most happiest person.”
