Khadija Shaw's season may be over! Man City dealt huge WSL title race blow as full extent of star forward's foot injury is revealed

The striker limped off during City's 5-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, after scoring two first half goals. Head coach Gareth Taylor said after the game that it was 'touch and go' as to whether she was going to continue in the match, implying that the injury did not seem serious. But the Daily Mail now reports that the club fears she will not play again this season amid concerns she has broken her foot.

Shaw would be a massive loss to a team currently locked in a fierce title battle with Chelsea. City are three points clear at the top of the WSL table as things stand, though the Blues do have a game in hand. The Jamaica international has played a huge part in putting Taylor's side in that position, scoring 21 goals in just 18 league appearances.

"We decided not to take the risk, it was touch and go as to whether she was going to come back on the pitch," Taylor said after Shaw went off on Sunday. "We'll get a bit more of an assessment tomorrow. She's on crutches, which looks bad, but most of the players end up being offloaded in that situation. We'll just have to assess it. If it's more serious than we anticipate, then we'll deal with it."

City do not have any natural No.9s who can replace Shaw in the forward line if indeed she is to miss the rest of the campaign. Chloe Kelly, the England winger, took up that role on Sunday once her team-mate had limped off and Taylor was pleased with what he saw from her. "[She] did really well in that position, put them under a lot of pressure, created some good opportunities," he said.

Kelly is one of several to have played centrally before, alongside fellow Lioness Lauren Hemp and Australia starlet Mary Fowler. It would require some adjustment on City's side, then, especially given how much of a focal point Shaw is for them.

The Cityzens take on bottom side Bristol City on Sunday, which could be a good game for them to experiment with a new-look forward line if Shaw is missing. The following week, the Manchester side have their toughest game in this title run-in, hosting third-placed Arsenal.