Fran Kirby looks to put 12 months of hell behind her and become England's 'mini Messi' once again

The Chelsea Ladies star suffered back-to-back knee and ankle injuries

Kirby kicked off England's inspirational 2015 World Cup campaign (Getty)

After one whole year of pain, frustration, set-backs and rehab, things have started to move very quickly again for Fran Kirby.

Just eight weeks ago she made her comeback for Chelsea Ladies after 12 months ruined by knee and ankle injuries. Tomorrow she will be playing for England against Scotland in Utrecht, in the Lionesses’ opening game of Euro 2017.

It has been a remarkable comeback for Kirby given how long she spent out of the side. And it is a testament to her hard work and focus, as well as the support she received from England and from Chelsea, that she is part of Mark Sampson’s squad again. Two years ago Kirby was one of the stars of England’s World Cup team, opening the scoring in the win against Mexico that really set England on their way. This month she has the chance to do even better.

Which is impressive, and surprising, given all the bad luck Kirby has had over the last year. It all started in late May 2016 when Kirby was playing for Chelsea and collided with a defender in a 50/50 challenge. “I felt the impact immediately but I just got up and carried on,” Kirby recalls, “because I’ve always been told that I go down too easily, stay down too long or complain about something I shouldn’t complain about.”

Kirby played through the pain and scored, but ultimately she was a victim of her own bravery. “I got up and carried on, which obviously made my injury worse,” she admits. Kirby continued to play through the pain for the next few weeks. But when the pain was so bad she could barely walk, she went for a scan, and was told she had fractured her knee.

There was no surgery required, just painkillers, PRP injections and weeks of rehab. The first few weeks were the easiest but it got harder from there.

Kirby wants to put her nightmarish 12 months behind her (Getty)

“At first you feel very motivated,” Kirby explains. “I thought I would be back within six weeks, for the start of the next season. So first I was really motivated to get back, but it got delayed and delayed. Then they find out other things that are wrong with the knee, and it did get frustrating. But I did manage to keep my spirits high and keep going.”

Kirby was in at Cobham every day, where both Chelsea’s men’s and ladies’ teams train. She had the benefit of the state of the art facilities there, trying hydrotherapy, ultra-sound treatment and even magnetic therapy. “The club were amazing during my injury, really, allowing me to go and use the machines I needed,” Kirby says. “Working with some of the first team physios was massive.”

But for all the hard work and good practice, Kirby suffered with setbacks. She had bone edema, “really deep internal bruising which takes a long time to come out, not like a normal bruise”. Then she had to off-load her knee as it recovered, meaning no weights or cardio for eight months. Then due to her leg weakening, Kirby got patella tendonitis.

In mid-April, 11 months after the injury, Kirby was back in training ready to return in the FA Cup semi-final against Birmingham City. Two days before the game, Kirby tried to block a shot, lost her balance and went over on her ankle, suffering a grade three ligament tear. “I was quite low when the ankle injury happened,” Kirby says. “I felt like I was getting myself back, and I had another set-back.”

Kirby joined Chelsea after impressing with Reading (Getty)

So it was as late as 21 May, away against Sunderland, when Kirby could finally return to the team, coming off the bench. After so long out, she did not even care how she played. “I said to the physio, I don’t care how I play, all I want to do is get on the pitch and run around a little bit,” she says.

But as it happened, Kirby came back and did very well. She scored and was mobbed by her team-mates. “The girls’ support for me was incredible,” Kirby remembers with a smile. “Everyone was cheering when I came on, when I scored, everyone came over to celebrate. Little things like that really mean something in the team. Everyone wants each other to do well.”

Kirby made five appearances at the end of the season, with just two starts, but still finished with six goals. She did not want to rush back for the European championship, but now, on the eve of the campaign, she has still got herself in perfect shape.

“I tried not to think about the Euros too much, because when I had set-backs I needed to keep my head focused on getting back for Chelsea rather than back for England,” Kirby says. “I just knew that I had to get back on the pitch. And if I get back on the pitch and play terribly, that’s fine.”

England coach Mark Sampson was clear with Kirby that as good as she was, it was not worth risking another injury to get back. He told her that to rush back and risk a muscle injury would be no use. “I knew I needed to get myself back fully, not at 70 per cent, but at 100 per cent,” Kirby says. “Mark said to take my time, get myself fit, don’t rush it.”

But now Kirby is back, fit, stronger than ever and ready to repeat her heroics from the World Cup. Two years ago Kirby, the 21-year-old who played for Reading in the WSL2, got England’s campaign underway by scoring the opening goal against Mexico in Moncton. She does not even remember the goal, only the celebration, but knows how important it was to a campaign that went all the way to the semi-finals. Kirby sees herself as a more mature, more intelligent player and person now than she was then. And after overcoming a nightmare year to get here, who would bet against her doing even better this time?