Arsenal and England star Chloe Kelly has said that she is hoping to put her injury struggles behind her ahead of a huge couple of weeks for the Gunners.
Despite scoring the decisive penalty in the Lionesses' defence of their title at Euro 2025 in July, Kelly struggled with injuries throughout the year.
A foot injury in April was followed by an apparent knee injury early this season, as the 28-year-old looked far from best while playing with strapping.
After another knee injury she sustained during an international friendly against Ghana, Kelly is now starting to rediscover the kind of form which has made her one of the most effective players in the world over the last five years.
"It's been frustrating with injuries, I felt like I haven't got going just yet. I think it's something that I tried to push through for a bit but I think you learn about your body," she told The Telegraph. "It was a frustrating period for me, but I'm happy to be back now. I worked hard in the gym throughout that time, trying individually to get back into a good place. I knew that taking the time a bit longer to then be able to stay on the pitch rather than be in and out was important.
"I'm looking forward to pushing on this back end of the season and hopefully staying fit and my body is feeling in a good place, so hopefully I can keep that there now."
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Kelly, who rejoined her childhood club after a difficult end to her time at Manchester City, is looking to help the Gunners defend their Champions League title after victory over Barcelona in last year's final.
Standing in their way are Chelsea, with the two legs of the quarterfinal -- which begins on Tuesday -- coming either side of the north London derby at the Emirates in the WSL.
"We had the experience last season over the two legs in Champions League, knowing what it takes to get there, what it feels like after one result, but also knowing it's only half-time," Kelly said.
"The experience that we have from last season is really important to take into this back end of the season. I think the environment we've created here, that comes from the top -- Renée and the coaching staff -- what they've created at the club is a very focused environment, knowing what we're about most importantly, knowing the standards that we set day to day together."
