'Doing responsible things' - Lionesses star Millie Bright 'taking her time' in recovery from knee injury as England boss Sarina Wiegman explains delay in return

Bright hasn't played since November because of the problem and Chelsea boss Emma Hayes revealed last week that she had suffered "a little setback" on her road to recovery, adding that she was not expected to be back before the international break, which starts next week.

Bright's absence has been a blow for club and country, as she is a key player and one of the captains for England and Chelsea. With the Lionesses, her time on the sidelines has also coincided with Leah Williamson's rehab from an ACL rupture, meaning Wiegman has been without her captain and vice-captain, and two first-choice centre-backs.

Asked on Tuesday if she is concerned with how long Bright's recovery is taking, Wiegman dismissed the word 'concerned' and responded: "A little disappointed, of course. We all hoped that it would go a little bit quicker but she's taking her time and wants to do the right things to get back and not have the setbacks again. So she needs a little more time, she needs to do a little more work in the gym to get everything stronger and that takes a little more time. Hopefully, and that's what Emma Hayes said too, hopefully she will be back after the international break. But she's doing responsible things."

Bright struggled with a knee injury before the World Cup last summer, too, but managed to recover in time to be fit for England's first game against Haiti and then captained her team all the way to the final.

While Bright continues her recovery, the Lionesses will be in action next week when they kick-off their qualifying campaign for the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro with a game against Sweden at Wembley on April 5.