Everton Women manager Willie Kirk admitted forward Nicoline Sorensen faces a 'lengthy rehab' after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 3-1 win over Birmingham City last weekend.
Sorensen arrived at Walton Hall Park from Brondby last summer and has made over 20 appearances for the club.
Kirk insists the 24-year-old Danish international is in good spirits after the injury and admitted 'there is a lot of planning' for Everton to press ahead with to aid her comeback.
Kirk said at his press conference ahead of the trip to Reading on Sunday: "Getting that diagnosis is not great for anybody.
"When the scan finally comes back and you get that, you know exactly the ins and outs of it and you get told it's a ruptured ACL. It's never good news.
"But I think she has dealt with it very positively and very maturely.
"We had a good chat this morning in my office and we will support [Sorensen] in every way we can to ensure she comes back bigger, better and stronger and more tactically aware.
"We have already talked about how we can continue to develop her over the rehab, because it is a lengthy rehab.
"She has got targets already and without a doubt she will come back, but it is a blow to her and a blow to the team."
Kirk revealed initial scans are positive for Sorensen and she has 'reacted really positively' to the serious setback.
He refused to set a timescale for her return but continued: "First of all, we made sure we got the scan at the right time, because if there is too much swelling you might not pick up on some other damage.
"We're quite happy with what the scan came back with. The swelling went down quite quickly and her knee has actually reacted really positively to it, considering the damage that has been done.
"She is a quick healer. So the first thing is about getting the scan and the next couple of days are about putting a really robust plan in place: how much work do we do before the op, and then how much work do we do after it?
"Where does she get the operation? What specialist does she see? Who performs the operation? Where does she do the first part of her rehab? At what point does she go home? Does she even get the operation in Denmark? Does she get it in London?"
He added: "There are so many things to talk about.
"It's about getting a real robust plan in place and then making sure we get as much care and support around her as possible, making sure we understand the implications and knock-ons to all the other staff and how we structure the rehab not just for Nico but how we fill the void.
"It is quite a lengthy process for the physios and physical performance coaches so there is a lot of planning to go on in the next couple of days."
