Skinner confirms Miyazawa injury blow ahead of Spurs showdown

Marc Skinner has confirmed injured Manchester United midfielder Hinata Miyazawa will be sidelined until after the Women's Super League mid-season break. 

With United preparing to face Tottenham at Brisbane Road on Sunday evening, Skinner broke the bad news during his pre-match press conference. 

He said: "Hini will probably be out until after Christmas. We are waiting on an assessment. 

"It looks like she will miss these three games [before the break]. Once she has had the assessment, we will let people know. We will confirm that later.

"Irene [Guerrero] is still training but is likely to miss these three games and be back after Christmas. 

"Apart from that, everybody else has reported OK [after international duty]."

Miyazawa, 24, limped off while playing for Japan and her absence is a bitter blow with United hosting Leicester in the Conti Cup and then Liverpool in the league after Sunday's showdown with Tottenham. 

But Skinner's full focus is on what he expects to be a tough encounter against Spurs. 

He added: "They want to attack. We need to make sure they don't get chances. 

"Beth [England] has a chance to be back and we all know how good she is. 

"We know Martha [Thomas] and Grace [Clinton] are also playing well. I think it's going to be a tough game and we have to be at our very best."

After the next three games, Skinner's squad will not return to action until they face WSL champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on January 21. 

And the Red Devils boss, 40, is looking forward to getting his players to the warmer climes of Malta next month. 

He said: "It's lovely at that time of year and it's a really positive experience for us. We have all our players back together. 

"We're giving them a proper Christmas break this year. There has been a lot of football, whether it's international or here. 

"It's important to spend time with your family. 

"The weather can sometimes be challenging in Manchester so that will be nice to get them all on the same page in Malta in nicer weather."