- Lydia Bedford confirms LCFC Women striker Jess Sigsworth has suffered an ACL injury
- The Foxes forward will be out for the rest of the 2021/22 campaign
- Bedford says support will be in place for Sigsworth as she begins her recovery
- She also provided an update on Hannah Cain and Lachante Paul
The Foxes head to Kingsmeadow on Saturday for a Vitality Women's FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Chelsea (1pm GMT kick-off), but they'll be without Sigsworth for a prolonged spell. Speaking from Belvoir Drive on Friday, the manager provided an update on the former Manchester United forward.
"Unfortunately, last week in training, Jess suffered an ACL injury and will be out for the remainder of this season," Bedford confirmed. "She’ll hopefully have an operation in the coming weeks. It’s really disappointing for her, but the Club are behind her on her recovery.
"We'll very much look at keeping Jess a part of things. Jess is a really level-headed individual who's taken the news really well, in her stride. She's a very positive character and she's been here before in 2017 when she did her other knee. I think she knows what she's up against.
"I'm confident she'll come back stronger."
Hannah Cain (ACL) and Lachante Paul (knee) remain out for City too and Bedford delivered news on both during her pre-match press conference.
"Hannah's is reasonably long-term and we hope to have her back by pre-season," she added. "Lachante, who's our other long-term injury, we hope to have her back in the next couple of months, hopefully before the end of the season if I'm totally honest.
"She's doing really well in her rehab and working very hard. She's probably the closest of the two."
Bedford says support will be in place for Sigsworth as she begins her rehabilitation journey, but the former England youth coach also pointed to the quality within the squad in attacking areas.
"Everyone feels for Jess and nobody wants to be in that situation, but from this situation comes opportunity for others," she explained. "Tash [Flint] had a great game against West Ham 10 days ago, which was really good to see. Hopefully that's something she can build on now as the season progresses.
"From our perspective, through the January window, we tried to strengthen the squad. Jess was unavailable for the previous game against West Ham, so I think it shows the depth we’ve got. We’re really disappointed for Jess and behind her in her rehab.
"For Paige [Bailey-Gayle], Missy Goodwin and Charlie Devlin, we've got forwards on our bench. It provides an opportunity for them to get minutes and exposure. It's a platform for them to really show us what they're capable of doing so I'm excited for them, while being really disappointed for Jess.
"It provides an opportunity for other players who we trust and believe can believe can have an impact."