Manchester United manager Marc Skinner says he is hoping to hand Jayde Riviere her debut against West Ham this weekend.

The Canadian international has not played since arriving at Old Trafford in January, with a lack of match fitness being the main reason why she hasn’t featured up until now. Skinner has, however, talked up the defender’s chances of being involved when United face the Hammers on Saturday evening:

“Jayde Riviere should be training for the week. She was training with the team [in] the last part of the week and looked excellent so hopefully, she will be in contention for the weekend.”

Riviere didn’t make the bench for the 3-1 win over Lewes in the Women’s FA Cup last Sunday, and you would have imagined that would have been a better opportunity to give the 22-year-old some minutes.

However, it appears United’s medical and sports science team have a set plan in place for the Canadian and, based on Skinner’s comments, it looks like she will be among the substitutes for the West Ham game.

A win is vital for Skinner’s team if they are to keep pace with Chelsea at the top of the WSL, having lost to the Blues in their last league fixture.