Emma Hayes travels to Florida for first meeting with USWNT players & staff as Chelsea boss starts preparing for new role

Hayes, 47, has travelled to Fort Lauderdale to link-up with her new squad for the first time. However, she will not formally start her role with the USWNT until the WSL season with her current employers Chelsea comes to a close in May, according to The Athletic.

While Hayes finishes her work in London, the USWNT will have interim boss Twila Kilgore in charge for the upcoming back-to-back friendlies against China on December 2 and December 6.

Kilgore, 43, will stay on with the national team after Hayes' official arrival, at which point she will take on the role of assistant coach under the new regime.

Speaking on the overlap of her work with Chelsea and linking up with the USWNT in the coming days, Hayes' outlined her commitment to the Blues until her time with the USWNT officially starts. “No, I’m not watching (the USWNT),”she said. “I’m watching my own team. I’m watching our competition. That’s the work of Twila and the full-time staff that are in place. I don’t start working for U.S. Soccer until May.”

After Hayes heads back to England from her short trip to meet her new squad, she will return to London and prepare her Chelsea side for their upcoming clash against Arsenal on December 10, as the two top teams in the Women's Super League face-off at the Emirates Stadium.