Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has described forward Fran Kirby as the ‘most talented attacking player in the England squad’ following her sensational performance against Manchester City at the weekend.

Kirby, 27, won player of the match as the Blues saw off their title rivals 3-1 to maintain their unbeaten start to the Women’s Super League season.

And Hayes could not have been happier with Kirby, who has found her best form once more after nine months out due to illness.

"I’ve said before that Fran [Kirby] deserves all the credit," she told the club website.

"She’s put all the hard work in, she’s got a club that loves her and will do the best we can by her, but Fran is without question the most talented attacking player in the England squad in my opinion.

"Everybody look after her – if England are going to win major things, it’s important everyone recognises what a special talent she is, but also what a special person she is."

Chelsea now have to wait three weeks for their next match as their upcoming WSL game was postponed after opponents Aston Villa returned a positive coronavirus test.

Players will then go away on international duty for two weeks, meaning Hayes cannot build on the momentum her side are currently building.

But the 43 year-old is not concerned about the lengthy break her team now have as she insists it is still very early in the season.

"We don’t win the title in October so this doesn’t matter," she added. "The important thing is that we’ve put the players in the safest possible environment and if the decision is to postpone it for that reason then I support that.

"You have to manage so many different situations over the course of the season and I don’t think it’s ever a straight run.

"I’ve been doing this a long time, I would love to keep playing and I would love to keep the momentum building but I’m also over the moon that I’ve got them for a full training week so I can push them hard."