Naomi Girma in line for Chelsea debut after injury rehabilitation | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor has confirmed that Naomi Girma could make her debut when the Women's Super League returns on Sunday.

The 24-year-old is yet to feature for the Blues after her world-record $1.1m (£890,000) move from San Diego Wave in January and was not selected by the United States Women's National Team (USWNT) for their SheBelieves Cup campaign, instead continuing to rehabilitate an injury at Chelsea's Cobham training ground.

But speaking ahead of Sunday's WSL clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at Broadfield Stadium, Bompastor confirmed that the wait for Girma to make a first appearance could be about to end.

"Naomi should be in the squad for the game on Sunday," the former Lyon boss confirmed. "We practiced really well during these two weeks. We brought some of the boys and we had the best players from the girls academy, and I think we had a nice environment for them to practice in."

Girma, a 44-cap international, is widely regarded as one of the world's best defenders and is expected to make a big impact at the WSL leaders.

"There are a lot of things about Chelsea that made me want to come here - the culture, the winning mentality, staff and players," Girma said upon her arrival in England. "It's a top environment to learn and grow in. Right now, that's what I'm looking to do. It was an easy choice for me.

"I'm so happy and really excited to be here. It doesn't feel real."

Girma joins an exceptionally strong Chelsea defence that already boasts the likes of captain Millie Bright, Canadian duo Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan, as well as England full-backs Lucy Bronze and Niamh Charles.