Leicester boss to miss match due to ‘internal process’

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Leicester City manager Willie Kirk will not be present on the touchline for Saturday’s Women’s FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool, as he is currently “assisting the club with an internal process.”

Kirk, 45, joined the Women’s Super League club in the summer of 2022, initially as a director of football before succeeding Lydia Bedford as boss that November.

“Willie Kirk is assisting the club with an internal process, the outcomes of which will be determined in due course,” said a club spokesperson.

“Assistant manager Jennifer Foster and first-team coach Stephen Kirby will take charge of the team for Saturday’s Women’s FA Cup tie at Liverpool.”

In the realm of women’s football, Kirk has overseen teams such as Hibernian and Bristol City, as well as serving on Manchester United’s coaching staff.

Later, he assumed leadership at Everton in December 2018, during which he steered the team to the Women’s FA Cup final in 2020.

Notably, last season, he led Leicester from the bottom of the WSL standings to safety, and they currently hold the seventh position in the table.