Chelsea and the England women’s team have both been dealt a major blow with forward Fran Kirby ruled out for “the foreseeable future” because she is suffering with fatigue, the cause of which has not yet been diagnosed.

Kirby has been unable to play for club or country since February and a concerned-sounding Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said on Friday that Kirby is “struggling” and the club have not yet been able to get to the bottom of the issue yet, which will be of concern to England supporters too with under three months remaining until the Euros.

Kirby, who won a clean sweep of Player of the Year awards last term when she was named as the PFA, Football Writers Association and WSL Player of the Year, is one of the English game’s biggest talents, but her career has been cruelly impacted by long-term illness previously. She missed the majority of the 2019-20 campaign after being diagnosed with pericarditis, caused by an inflammation of the fluid-filled sac around her heart, before fighting back to fitness to help Chelsea to a treble last season.

When confirming that Kirby would not be able to play in Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup semi-final away at Arsenal – a side against whom Kirby shined in victory at Wembley in last year’s final – Hayes said of Kirby: “No, there’s no chance of her playing at the weekend. She’s been taking some time in the background, she’s been suffering with a lot of fatigue. I don’t have a definitive reason why that is, we don’t know.

“But we’re trying to get to the bottom of it and taking the time we can to try and find the right solutions for Fran, because this is something that’s been ongoing, and unfortunately, until we get to the bottom of it, Fran won’t be available for selection.”

Hayes was unsure when the 28-year-old might be able to return to action, adding: “I think, forget the athlete, just [think about] a human being, and she’s struggling and we have to get to the bottom of that. I don’t think Fran will be available for club and country until that happens.