Chelsea stand on the brink of an “irreversible toxicity” from the fanbase over concerns for the direction of the club, according to the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust.

Despite progress in the cups, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has overseen an underwhelming Premier League campaign since arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer.

Chelsea were branded “blue billion-pound bottle jobs” by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville late on during their 1-0 extra-time defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final last month.

Although Pochettino has since guided Chelsea back to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final with holders Manchester City in April, questions remain over the long-term vision under co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali in the post-Roman Abramovich era.

The CST wrote to Boehly and Eghbali earlier this month, highlighting how the current lack of engagement or communication by the club has led to an “overwhelming sense of helplessness, frustration and deep concern” among fans.

This, the CST said, had left Chelsea “close to, if not already experiencing, a significant shift in supporter opinion that could result in irreversible toxicity, almost irrespective of results on the pitch”.

During the recent 2-2 draw against Brentford at Stamford Bridge, the CST noted several “anti-ownership chants” could be heard, adding recent dialogue with supporters revealed “a widespread and significant lack of belief in the decision-makers at the top of our club”.

The rising cost of ticket prices, coach travel as well as food and drink in general admission areas was also addressed in the wide-ranging letter from the CST, which called for a “supporter communication strategy” that works for both the club and fans.

In a response from chief executive Chris Jurasek, Chelsea said the club deeply valued “the dedication, commitment and desire from all our supporters” and “strives to be the most successful and admired” in the world – both on and off the pitch.

It added the club was committed to “clear lines of communication and a significant level of transparency”, pointing to the established of the Fan Advisory Board, as well as recognising the concern over rising costs on a matchday.

Jurasek added: “We endeavour to have regular and strong communication with all our supporters, across all our teams, and aim to enhance and improve this connection season-on-season.”

Commenting on Jurasek’s letter, CST chairman Mark Meehan said it “doesn’t really address the issue we raised”.

Meehan added: “There are serious supporter concerns about the direction of the club, and particularly the disconnection felt towards the club ownership, board as well as the majority of the team and the manager.

“We were not questioning the existing supporter engagement mechanisms at Chelsea, including our very open and honest relationships with key individuals such as (director) Danny Finkelstein.

“We were saying that in order to reassure and reset relationships with fans, a much wider form of communication with fans is necessary.”

Meehan’s statement concluded: “A football club belongs to its supporters and the CST will continue to do everything in its power to guarantee that the voices of those supporters are heard from the stands to the boardroom and ensure that Chelsea supporters are at the very centre of every key decision made by the club – we are supporters, not customers.”

Chelsea have been contacted for further comment.

Porto’s Galeno has no regrets over his decision to represent Brazil ahead of Portugal.

The Brazilian-born winger could have played for Portugal having lived in the country for over five years and was expected to be named in Roberto Martinez’s latest squad after an impressive season.

But Galeno, who featured in Porto’s penalty shootout defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals, was instead called up by Brazil boss Dorival Junior for their upcoming friendlies against England and Spain.

It has been the 26-year-old’s dream to play for the country of his birth, and he said: “I’m not going to change my opinion (representing Brazil and saying no to Portugal).

“It’s been a dream since I was a child to represent my country, Brazil. I talked to the manager (Dorival Junior) but even before he called me, I already had the desire to represent Brazil and I’m not going to change.

“I’m going to do my best to represent this shirt. It will be another one to help achieve many things in the Selecao.”

Galeno’s Porto team-mate Wendell has also been selected as preparations ramp up for this summer’s Copa America.

“Me and Wendell have known each other for a long time,” Galeno added. “We will transfer (our skills) to the Selecao, which we already do at Porto. You can be sure that we will do our best on the field and learn from those who are already there.

“We will pass on what we know to them as well. We will give great victories to the Brazilians. It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m here in the Selecao. I was crying with my family when I heard.”

Brazil play England at Wembley on Saturday – the first meeting between the two since 2017.

Lee McCulloch envisages the cinch Premiership title race going to the last day of the season because he still believes stuttering Celtic have too much quality to let in-form Rangers pull away in the run-in.

The Hoops looked destined for a procession to a third successive championship as Rangers floundered under Michael Beale early in the campaign.

However, Philippe Clement has galvanised the Ibrox side since his arrival in October, hauling them right back into the mix, with Brendan Rodgers’ side dropping points in six of their last 17 games.

Celtic currently top the table by a point, although Rangers have a game in hand, and McCulloch, who played for the Ibrox club from 2007 until 2015, feels it is still far too close to call.

“I don’t see an obvious favourite,” he told the PA news agency as he helped launch a July friendly between Manchester United and Rangers at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

“I can see it going as far as the last day. Celtic are getting players back, the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate are massive players for Celtic, and you can’t disregard that.

“Celtic have maybe had their ups and downs in the last months and they’ve maybe not played to their capabilities this season but they’re a very good team.

“You can’t just disregard them and say ‘right, that’s it, Rangers are going to win the league’. There’s a lot of football to be played until the end of the season, so it will be interesting to see which players and which team holds their nerve.”

McCulloch noted that Rangers – with 19 wins from their last 22 league games – have “come on leaps and bounds” since Clement replaced Beale but he still feels they must prove they can handle the pressure of a title run-in.

“When you look back at the start of the season there was a disconnect between the players and the fans, so all credit goes to the manager for bringing a togetherness back,” he said.

“They’re now in a tremendous situation where if they win their game in hand they can go two points clear. The Old Firm games are going to be very important but, with just nine games to go, every game is going to be massive.

“I think there is definitely more pressure on Rangers now than there was at the start of the season but there is also pressure on Celtic because of the way they’ve played in the last couple of years and the dominance they’ve had. There is different types of pressure on the two teams.

“The bulk of the Celtic players will not really have had a pressured run-in but you could say the same for the Rangers players as well. It will be interesting to see over the final games how certain individuals and how the Rangers and Celtic squads react to the pressure.”

Wes Brown is delighted to see Scott McTominay proving himself as a regular goalscorer after initially pigeon-holing the in-form Scotland and Manchester United player as a defensive midfielder.

The 27-year-old notched seven times in the Scots’ successful Euro 2024 qualification campaign last year and has also chipped in with nine for the Red Devils this term despite not being a regular starter.

McTominay is enjoying a purple patch for United after starting their last four matches and netting in narrow victories over Wolves, Aston Villa and Liverpool since the start of February.

Brown has watched McTominay’s progress closely since he made his debut almost eight years ago, and the former England and United defender is thrilled to see his current resurgence under Erik ten Hag ahead of this summer’s Euros.

“It’s absolutely brilliant,” the 44-year-old told the PA news agency as he helped launch a July 20 pre-season friendly between United and Rangers at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium.

“I love the fact he plays higher up the pitch now, I think you’re seeing a really talented player. I used to look at Scott when he first started playing and, just because of his size and athleticism, you’d say he was a defensive midfield player.

“But he’s a goalscorer, he’s got the timing to get in the box when the balls are coming in and not only that, he puts it in the back of the net.

“He makes the runs defenders don’t like, and he’s saved United a few times this season. It always helps when you have a good run of games whereas Scott’s been in and out quite a bit at United. You can see he’s a player the manager really likes this season.”

Brown endorsed McTominay as a future United captain back in 2019 and he still believes that could come to fruition if he asserts himself as a regular over a longer period.

“He loves the club and he puts everything into it,” said Brown.

“Captain doesn’t always have to be the best player, it’s the player that gives everything and commands everything as well, and Scott’s always done that.

“Yes, you do need to be a regular to be a captain but Scott has definitely got the fundamentals to go on and do that. If you see some of the performances he’s put in this year, that’s exactly what a good captain is made of.

“The fans have noticed it, the manager has noticed it, and he’s done it in a tough period as well.

“When the team’s not playing well or the fans are sometimes upset and getting on the players’ backs, Scott’s always the one that will give that determination and the correct attitude. He just needs to play more regularly now.”

While McTominay has not always been in favour at United, he is firmly established as one of the first names on the Scotland teamsheet.

“He really thrives on playing for Scotland,” said Brown.

“Every time I see Scotland are playing, the first thing I think of is ‘has Scott scored?’ and most of the time he has. He’s a passionate player for Scotland.”

Seamus Coleman will return to Republic of Ireland action determined to make the most of the time he has left on the international stage after fearing his career could be over.

The 35-year-old Everton defender has not represented his country since doing a job on superstar Kylian Mbappe in a 1-0 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat by France in March last year as a result of a serious knee injury suffered at Leicester five weeks later.

However, he is in line to pull on the green shirt once again in Saturday’s friendly against Belgium and is keen to play his part after watching the last qualifying campaign unravel in his absence.

Coleman, who only returned to senior football after his medial ligament injury in December, told a press conference: “It’s always tough watching on and to see the team not doing so well is very tough.

“I’ve been there when I’ve been fit and a part of teams that aren’t doing well, so I know how it feels, it’s tough.

“It always hurts us when we play for our national team and it doesn’t go to plan, but, personally speaking, I was kind of tunnel vision towards getting fit.

“It was a bit of a scare the night of the Leicester game because I kind of thought that might have been it. It looked to be a bad injury, but thankfully I got away without it being an ACL, which was important at my age.

“At the time, I was just completely focused on getting back fit. Obviously I watch out for the lads and care for the lads when I’m not here, but I had full focus on trying to get back to play at this level.”

Coleman’s return coincides with the installation of former team-mate John O’Shea as interim head coach as the Football Association of Ireland prepares to unveil Stephen Kenny’s successor next month.

However, England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley has revealed it will not be him after confirming he held talks with the FAI following Kenny’s departure in November, but that the discussions went no further.

Carsley, who won 40 caps for Ireland and was understood to be the FAI’s preferred candidate after leading the Young Lions to European Championship glory last summer, told the Daily Mail: “We had an initial conversation in November. I went to speak to them. Really informal, enjoyable, for around an hour. It went no further.

“It was good to see what their thoughts were and to explore whether I was ready to take that next step. It just went no further. I didn’t push it.

“I’ve always said that I’m really privileged to do this job I’m in. I appreciate that I’m in a really good position with a lot of responsibility.”

Meanwhile, broadcaster Sky has been confirmed as the new primary partner of the Ireland men’s team, which had been without a main sponsor since 2019, and at the same time extended its two-and-a-half-year partnership with the women’s team.

The deal will run until 2028 and cover the nation’s involvement in the Women’s Euros in 2025, the 2026 World Cup, the 2027 Women’s World Cup and Euro 2028.

England captain Harry Kane was among a number of players to train indoors away from the main group at St George’s Park on Wednesday.

Kane, England’s all-time leading goalscorer, suffered an ankle injury in Bayern Munich’s 5-2 Bundesliga win over Darmstadt on Sunday but joined up with Gareth Southgate’s squad as planned.

The PA news agency understands Kane was working on an individualised programme along with Jordan Henderson, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka.

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, linked up with his international colleagues to continue his rehabilitation at St George’s Park.

The rest of the squad trained ahead of the upcoming Wembley friendly double-header against Brazil and Belgium – the final games before Southgate names his Euro 2024 squad in May.

Manchester City’s 16-year-old defender Kian Noble joined the senior group for training, with the promising youngster suspended for Wednesday’s Euro Under-17 qualifier against Northern Ireland.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has undergone surgery on a meniscus tear in his right knee and is set for another spell of rehabilitation.

The 31-year-old Belgium international had already missed most of Real’s campaign so far after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee last August.

Courtois only recently returned to first-team training and it had been hoped he could soon be available again as Carlo Ancelotti’s side challenge for the LaLiga title and Champions League success.

Real Madrid confirmed in a statement on Wednesday: “Our player Thibaut Courtois underwent successful surgery today for a tear to the internal meniscus of his right knee, under the supervision of the Real Madrid Medical Services.

“Courtois will start his recovery program in the next few days.”

It remains to be seen how long his latest injury setback will leave Courtois sidelined again.

Courtois had already been ruled out of Belgium’s upcoming friendlies against Republic of Ireland and England in the international break.

He also now looks likely not to be in contention for both legs of next month’s Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.

Given Courtois’ absence, Ukrainian stopper Andriy Lunin has established himself in goal for Real this season.

Ancelotti’s side are eight points clear of fierce rivals and reigning Spanish champions Barcelona with nine games remaining.

Defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has signed a new deal with Arsenal.

The Japanese star joined the Gunners in August 2021 from Serie A side Bologna and has made 73 appearances in all competitions.

The PA news agency understands Tomiyasu’s new contract is for two years, with the option of a further 12 months.

Manager Mikel Arteta said: “We are so pleased to have Tomi commit his future with us. Together with his natural ability and strength, Tomi’s attitude, mentality and values are first class.

“Tomi is loved by everyone and has been an integral part of the squad since joining us. The way he trains, with his desire and determination to be the best version of himself every day, is admirable. We look forward to continue working with Tomi in the future years.”

Tomiyasu has made 20 appearances this season, scoring his first goal against Sheffield United in October, but has not featured in 2024 having played for Japan in the Asian Cup and then struggled with a calf injury.

The 25-year-old said: “I’m so happy to extend my contract because Arsenal is one of the best clubs in the world. And it’s a dream to play for this club.

“I’m still learning a lot of things from Mikel, from my team-mates. I still have capacity to improve. So I will try to be a better player and also a better person as well.”

Wales entertain Finland in a Euro 2024 play-off semi-final on Thursday.

The winners will progress to a home final against Estonia or Poland five days later for a place at Euro 2024 this summer.

Here, the PA news agency studies some of the main talking points surrounding the Cardiff City Stadium clash.

Here we go again

Wales have fond play-off memories after reaching the 2022 World Cup through football’s version of the last-chance saloon. Austria and Ukraine were both beaten in Cardiff as Wales made the most of home advantage – and the Dragons have again been dealt a kind hand to qualify for Euro 2024. On those occasions, however, Gareth Bale was the difference and Wales can no longer call on their retired superstar. It is time for the post-Bale generation to stand up, with Wales on the brink of a third successive European Championship and a fourth major tournament in five.

Ramsey risk?

Skipper Aaron Ramsey was named in the Wales squad despite not having started a game for six months. The Cardiff midfielder managed 25 minutes in his latest comeback from injury on Saturday and, even at 33, a fully-fit Ramsey would be a huge asset for Wales. Ramsey trained alone on Monday, following his own fitness programme, and starting against Finland would surely represent a huge risk, especially as Ethan Ampadu and Jordan James have become an effective midfielder partnership in front of a three-man defence.

Forward firepower

There may be no Bale any more, but Wales are not short of firepower up front. Brennan Johnson, David Brooks, Daniel James, Harry Wilson, Kieffer Moore and Nathan Broadhead are all firing for their clubs and boss Rob Page must form a three-man forward line from six. Moore, with his line-leading skills, aerial ability and decent international scoring record, seems certain to start. Whoever gets the nod on the flanks, Page, who says he has decided on his selection, knows he has players capable of making an impact off the bench.

Jeepers Keepers

Wales are in the midst of a goalkeeping mess, with none of their four senior stoppers – Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, Adam Davies and Tom King – having played a single minute of league football this season. Number one Ward has not played for Leicester in 12 months and Page is pinning his faith on the 30-year-old being match sharp from a handful of outings for the Foxes’ under-23s. Finland have no such issues as their goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky has impressed for Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Firing Finn

Record scorer Teemu Pukki remains Finland’s main marksman at the age of 33. The former Norwich striker now plays in Major League Soccer at Minnesota United. Other notable players include Hradecky, Leeds midfielder Glen Kamara and Middlesbrough striker Marcus Forss. Finland, like Wales, finished third in their Euro 2024 qualifying group behind Denmark and Slovenia. They completed a double over Northern Ireland but were beaten at home by Kazakhstan. Finland’s FIFA world ranking of 60 is 31 places below Wales’ 29.

Tony Mowbray’s period of absence from Birmingham leaves interim boss Gary Rowett as Blues’ fourth manager of the season.

They are the first club since 2018 to have as many as four managers in an English Football League season and here, the PA news agency looks at their turbulent campaign and how it compares.

Tale of woe

Mowbray, 60, has been granted a leave of absence until the start of pre-season for medical reasons after undergoing surgery on an undisclosed issue last month, just eight games after taking charge.

His appointment came after Birmingham sacked Wayne Rooney, who in turn was only appointed in October in place of John Eustace.

Eustace’s sacking was controversial, having led the club to 17th place last season on 53 points – their highest total since 2016 – and then to sixth after 11 games of this term.

The club cited the need for “the board of directors and the football management (to be) fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition”, and appointed former Derby and DC United boss Rooney two days later – but his reign was a short and unhappy one.

The ex-England captain lasted just 15 games, winning two, before he was removed from his post and replaced by Mowbray.

The latter’s illness means Mark Venus has been in caretaker charge but Rowett, who managed the club between 2014 and 2016, has now been brought back in to steady the ship – with Blues above the relegation zone on goal difference alone and 15 places worse off than when Eustace was dismissed.

Revolving door

The last EFL club to employ four managers in a season were Barnet in 2017-18, when first Rossi Eames and then Mark McGhee were moved into other roles within the club – Eames as head of development and McGhee head of technical – and then Graham Westley lasted just two months, with Martin Allen finishing the season.

Watford, a club with a reputation for cycling through managers, were the last Championship team to employ four in a season in 2014-15.

Beppe Sannino was sacked, Oscar Garcia stepped down for health reasons after just four games, Billy McKinlay was appointed as his replacement but extraordinarily sacked after only two matches – a win and a draw – and Slavisa Jokanovic became the Hornets’ fourth manager in 37 days. The Serbian took Watford up to the Premier League but left in the close season.

In between times, Leyton Orient managed to get through five managers in the 2016-17 League Two season.

Andy Hessenthaler and Alberto Cavasin were sacked in September and November respectively, Andy Edwards left for a youth coaching job at the Football Association and Danny Webb lasted just two months, with Omer Riza closing out the season in an interim capacity similar to Rowett at Birmingham.

What the papers say

Gareth Southgate is the top choice of Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to replace Erik ten Hag as manager in the summer, reports the Star.

According to The Times, Nottingham Forest may be forced to sell star players by the end of June to avoid losing more points for breaching financial rules.

Tottenham, Chelsea, and West Ham are all keen on England striker Ivan Toney, reports The Sun.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Jack Grealish: HITC writes that Manchester City might let the England forward leave this summer, with the club understood to be raising funds to boost their squad.

Alexander Isak: The Newcastle and Sweden striker is on Arsenal’s summer shortlist, says Football Insider.

Erling Haaland: The Manchester City striker limped out of training while on international duty with Norway, alarming his club, writes The Guardian.

Lionel Messi confirmed his leading role in Barcelona’s pantheon of greats on this day in 2012, breaking the club’s goalscoring record with a hat-trick against Granada.

The Argentina forward powered past Cesar Rodriguez’s benchmark of 232, which had stood since 1955, as he struck three times in a 5-3 thriller at the Nou Camp.

Messi equalled the record with his first goal – volleying home at the far post – and moved ahead with a trademark flourish.

Latching on to Dani Alves’ through ball, he produced a typically-classy lob to beat Julio Cesar and secure his long-anticipated place in the history books.

He was not done there, securing the match ball in the 88th minute when he rounded the goalkeeper and slammed his shot into the roof of the net between two covering defenders on the line.

Messi was in the midst of an unstoppable run of form, finishing the season with a remarkable 50 league goals and left his manager toasting him as the best in the business.

Former Barca head coach Pep Guardiola said: “I’m sorry for those that want to sit on his throne, but this lad is the best.

“Hopefully we can enjoy his football for many more years.

“He does everything and he does it every three days. Leo has rightfully entered into history.”

Messi’s love affair with the Catalan club finally came to an end in 2021, the 34-year-old tearfully departing for Paris St Germain after he had left an unimpeachable legacy behind.

His final scoring record stood at 672, including 474 in LaLiga and 120 in the Champions League, ousting Pele as the most goals for one player at a single club.

Former Birmingham manager Gary Rowett has returned to the club as interim boss after Tony Mowbray was granted extended medical leave.

Ex-Sunderland boss Mowbray succeeded Wayne Rooney at St Andrews in January, but a month later he temporarily stepped down from his role to undergo medical treatment, with a view to returning in approximately six to eight weeks.

But Mowbray will now be absent until the start of pre-season, paving the way for Rowett to return to the club where he had a two-year spell in charge between 2014 and 2016.

Rowett left his new club’s Championship relegation rivals Millwall in October and takes over a Blues side only outside the bottom three on goal difference with eight games remaining.

Mowbray played a role in Rowett’s appointment.

Birmingham co-owner and chairman of the board Tom Wagner said in a statement on the club website: “Based on Tony’s decision to take some additional time away, we agreed it is in the club’s best interests to appoint Gary Rowett to lead the team forward from the touchline for the final eight games of the season. 

“Gary is an experienced leader and has our full support.”

Assistant Mark Venus will also temporarily leave the club and return with Mowbray, while first-team coaches Ashley Cole and Peter Shuttleworth as well as goalkeeper coach Maik Taylor will remain in their positions.

Rowett will be on the touchline for Birmingham’s clash against fellow strugglers QPR next week.

Joe Rodon believes Wales can count on their tournament experience against Finland to progress in the Euro 2024 play-offs.

Wales are aiming to qualify for a third successive European Championship and a fourth major tournament in five over the next week.

The winners of Thursday’s semi-final in Cardiff will host either Estonia or Poland on March 26 to decide a place at Euro 2024 in Germany.

Rodon said: “We lost superstars like Gareth Bale and Joe Allen (after the 2022 World Cup) and it was always going to be difficult for the group in transition.

“I don’t think I can speak highly enough of Gaz and Joe. They are icons of Welsh football and the game as well, and it’s going to have an impact on any team.

“But we’ve got players coming up to 50 caps now who have been around quite a bit and have that experience in tournaments.

“It’s not new to us that we’re in situations like this. There’s a really good balance in the group and a good amount of experience.”

Wales are clear favourites against Finland, with home advantage, recent head-to-head results and superior FIFA world ranking all on their side.

Finland are ranked 60th in the world – 31 places below Wales – and lost two Nations League ties to the Dragons in 2020, 1-0 in Helsinki and 3-1 in Cardiff.

But Rodon, 26, is taking nothing for granted, saying: “As a group we never look at it like that.

“We always see ourselves as underdogs in every game we go into.

“But being in Cardiff is always going to help us. The Red Wall has always been our 12th man and that is going to push us on to the end.”

On-loan Leeds defender Rodon has often joined up with Wales on the back of limited game time, be it at parent club Tottenham or Rennes where he had a mixed spell last season.

But that is not the case now as Rodon has established himself as an Elland Road regular and helped Daniel Farke’s side surge to the top of the Sky Bet Championship.

“Over the last couple of years it’s been sticky and I’ve not had the game time I’ve wanted,” said Rodon.

“But I settled in quickly and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve been playing every week and that’s only going to give you more confidence.

“I’m in a really good place physically and mentally. But it’s not just at Leeds (where Wales trio Connor Roberts, Daniel James and Ethan Ampadu are team-mates), most of the players are players are playing regularly.

“For Wales that’s really important and maybe the first time we’ve had that for a while. It’s only going to help.”

Rodon will be sporting a black eye against Finland after colliding with Leeds team-mate Junior Firpo.

He has also been in the wars with a series of cuts to his face and Wales manager Rob Page, a no-nonsense central defender in his playing days, was quick to notice that in camp.

“The manager said I look like a proper centre-half now, I’ll take that,” said Rodon, who admitted there has been wisecracks between Leeds’ Welsh quartet and the club’s Finland midfielder Glen Kamara ahead of the play-off.

“We’ve have bantered him a little bit,” said Rodon.

“Four Welshmen against one Finn, so the numbers have been bit unfair, but the boss (Farke) has teamed up with Glen a little bit.”

Emma Hayes hailed Sjoeke Nusken after the German scored her second brace in as many games during Chelsea’s 3-0 first-leg victory over Ajax in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The versatile forward came into the game on a high from her double in the Blues’ 3-1 win over title rivals Arsenal in the Women’s Super League on Friday.

Her double came after England winger Lauren James scored the opener at Johan Cruijff ArenA.

“Nusken has a natural ability to be in the right spaces inside the box,” Hayes said.

“She’s a box player, no question. She wants to be there, and the third goal epitomised her desire, her positioning and her quality.

“I might give her a game in goal as well next week, just to try it out.”

Chelsea’s advantage keeps their quadruple hopes alive and gives them a cushion going into the second leg later this month at Stamford Bridge.

Hayes expects Ajax to deliver an improved performance in that tie.

She said: “When you’re used to European competition you know they’re two very different games. When you go away and you win games like this, the brain gets a little bit relaxed. You go home and you see an opposite performance.

“I felt that when we played Lyon last year – we went away and it was a disciplined performance. We went home and Lyon were the dominant side even though we went through. We need to heed that warning and share that experience with the players.”

Guro Reiten had a goal chalked off for offside and Hayes credited VAR for the decisions during the match.

She said: “The players carried out the game plan in and out of possession the way we wanted and it was good to experience VAR for the right reasons.

“I’ve always wanted VAR for big decisions, and it showed tonight that it was important and both big VAR decisions were correct.”

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