Sonia Bompastor delivers update on Chelsea captain’s fitness | OneFootball

Sonia Bompastor says Chelsea captain Millie Bright will not be available for Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup fifth round fixture against Manchester United.

Bright suffered a contact injury in the 2-0 win over Tottenham two weeks ago, and had to miss the 2-0 win against Liverpool a few days ago.

Bompastor said: “As you know, Millie got a knock to her ankle in the Tottenham game. She didn’t recover enough to be involved in this game, so we are assessing her every week and making sure she gets back as quickly as possible. For sure, it will be after the international break now. 

“It’s difficult for me now to put a time frame on her return, but we’ll have the international break to keep continuing assessing her.”

There was some good news however, as the Chelsea manager confirmed that Kadeisha Buchanan will be available for selection against Manchester United.

Buchanan suffered an ACL injury in November 2024, and Bompastor is delighted to have her back: “We will probably have Kadeisha Buchanan back in the squad for the weekend as well, which is great news. She’s been training fully with us for many weeks now. Yesterday was the first opportunity for her to get some minutes with the Under-18 side. 

“It was great mentally for her to be involved in that game. Keish is in a good place right now, she’s feeling confident. I think it’s exciting for her be in the squad for the weekend game because she’s been injured for quite a long time. 

“I think it’s one of those where you know the player is really excited and confident to be back with the squad, but there will be a certain amount of time before she gets back to this level.”