LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO EUROS
SCOTLAND head coach Anna Signeul is confident star midfielder Kim Little will be fit to face Romania and Sweden next month.
The 26-year-old has had very little game time this year but could return for Arsenal in Sunday’s game at Manchester City.
If she does it will be a huge relief for Signeul, whose Euro preparations have already been badly hampered by key injuries.
Little suffered a tear in her hamstring playing for Scotland in March.
Signeul yesterday named 20 players for the Romania and Sweden games but will add three more next week and hopes one will be Little.
The Swede said: “Even if she’s Kim Little I didn’t want to select her and then have to de-select her because of injury.”
Little hasn’t played in any of Arsenal’s five Spring Series matches to date but sat on the bench during Saturday’s 4-2 win over Birmingham City.
Signeul said: “Her hamstring is better now and she trained all last week but has been feeling it a bit in her calf.”
Little, who also missed Scotland’s last three games against Austria, Wales and Belgium, picked up her injury in freak circumstances.
Signeul said “Kim kicked her foot in the ground in Cyprus.
“It was more of a groin and hip problem but later it also affected her hamstring – she had a tear in it.
“There are three games coming up for Arsenal between now and next Saturday. If she comes back playing and it goes well she is in the squad. I’m counting she will be but what I don’t want to do is stress her and rush her back.”
Still missing from the Scotland squad is Little’s club-mate Emma Mitchell.
The left-back, who has a more serious hamstring injury, will be touch and go for the Euros.
Definitely out of the Holland tournament is Hibs forward Lizzie Arnot, who will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Signeul said: “Overall we have been very unlucky this spring with injuries but what is really positive now is that almost everybody is back.
“The devastation for me is Lizzie Arnot. She was prob ably the best player in the SWPL in the opening matches.”