Ella Toone is back! Lionesses star in line to return from two-month injury lay-off as Man Utd begin Women's FA Cup title defence

Toone has been out of action since mid-November due to a calf problem, one which ruled her out of Manchester United's final six games of 2024 and England's last two fixtures of the calendar year, too.

However, head coach Marc Skinner has revealed that the creative midfielder could be in line for a return on Saturday, when Man Utd take on third-tier West Brom in the FA Cup fourth round. It'd be a timely comeback, as the Red Devils have some huge games on the horizon.

Speaking in his press conference on Friday, Skinner said: "Ella Toone is back and hopefully in the squad, she will hopefully play some part against West Brom. We are looking at that obviously with the games coming up as well. Probably (playing) around half an hour, I think is probably sensible. The competitive chaos nature of a game that you can’t control a little bit more fatigues mentally. So you make different decisions. But she trained yesterday with the team, working on the shape, and she was really sharp. So hopefully we can get her into the game and introduce her after the long time she’s had out."

Getting some minutes in Toone's legs in a game United are expected to win comfortably would be wise, given what lies ahead. On January 19, the Red Devils will make the short journey to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City, as the Women's Super League returns from its winter break. Then, just three days later, United will host their crosstown rivals in the League Cup quarter-finals.

United currently sit fourth in the WSL standings, outside the Champions League places on goal difference. They'll hope that Toone's return can help boost their chances of breaking into those European places before the season is out, with success also still on the cards in both domestic cup competitions.